Room for Improvement
by moonatik
Summary: A general Ling Tong x Gan Ning fic, tracing the development of their rocky relationship since Gan Ning's induction into the Wu ranks.
1. Mourning

**Author babble: **Hello folks! Long time no write! But many of you authors out there know how it can be--life happens, and hobbies like these take a back seat. I'll try to get back into fic writing, but we'll see.

This is a fic I've been itching to write. I know I have a lot of unfinished works, but since I've been playing DW6, I wanted to get this ball rolling and see where it goes. There is not a whole lot of Gan Ning x Ling Tong fanfics out there, which is surprising as much as it is disappointing! They're the best (and most obvious) couple in DW, I think. Even if you don't think they're in love, their camaraderie is truly charming, especially in DW6.

So yes, this will be a GN x LT fic primarily, so abandon ship now if that ain't your cup o' tea!

Some disclaimers: This fic will fuse elements from DW6 and DW5, and I'm liable to use events from true history. I say that so I may ask that readers allow any inaccuracies or outright disregard for facts and reality. Oh, and did I mention that I shamelessly hide behind artistic license?

Final but **no less important** note: I do not own Shinsengoku Musou/Dynasty Warriors or its characters, and of course don't own the actual heroes they were inspired by. Just borrowing for fun, not profit.

Those still with me: enjoy!!

* * *

**The Mourning**

Ling Tong hated parties. Even from his perch upon the interior palace wall outside his quarters, the boisterous clamour of celebratory glee and excessive indulgences bit into his ears like an orchestra out of tune. They were in the opposite wing, for Heaven's sake.

What really bothered him, though, was the reason for this evening's festivities: Xia Kou was a success. In the objective sense, it was--Huang Zu's naval threat was no more. Also no more, however, was his father's long and honorable service to Wu and the Sun family. Sun Quan eulogized him quite eloquently after the battle when services were conducted: Ling Cao, the most painful and terrible loss among the dead, remembered as a true hero, and as treasured as any member of the Sun family. That was the jist.

What struck Ling Tong most bitterly was the fact that his father had foretold his own death. Before the battle, his father confessed to him privately that he had seen multiple omens that suggested an ill fortune: a dead songbird he discovered just outside the entrance to his tent; a violent thunderstorm that disturbed his sleep; his bow breaking while he was training. Like the fool that his son was, Ling Tong had brushed off his old man's misgivings as mere happenstance.

That was the last chance I had, Ling Tong thought. He would pray until the day he died that his father thought of him as a good son. Even if he had, Ling Tong vowed that he would prove his worth as a son by continuing to serve and guard the Sun family as his father did, and to the best of his ability. Only through that vow could Ling Tong forgive himself as well.

And what other families had the chaos ruined while it continued to exist unabated? he thought.

"Ling Tong, there you are," a gruff voice said behind him. Ling Tong twisted to look behind and downward to the speaker.

"Master Lu Meng," he said. "What can I do for you?"

"Come with me."

His terse demand created questions unspoken, yet Ling Tong followed him without a sound to the conference room. There, he swept the room, noting Lu Xun's and Zhou Tai's presence as well. Ling Tong was slightly miffed when they failed to greet him.

"What's up?" Ling Tong asked.

Lu Xun and Zhou Tai looked at each other and around the room, but never at him, as if they weren't exactly sure how to get the ball rolling. Ling Tong grew genuinely preturbed, realizing that the subject of this meeting involved him directly.

"We want you to meet someone," Lu Meng finally said. "But you might want to sit down."

Ling Tong fixed his eyes on Lu Meng as he pulled out a chair and seated himself, slightly amused but uncomfortably curious, like he was about to receive the birthday gift of his life.

"We'd like you to meet..." Lu Xun started, nodding at Lu Meng, who went to open another door to the room. Ling Tong watching him nod to something--or rather someone--in the next room.

"Gan Ning," Lu Xun finished. The pirate was brought out, looking as intimidating as he did on the battlefield at Xia Kou--sharp facial features with blonde, spiked hair to match, attached to buldging musculature contained by light armor and silk coverings, with hardly any skin on his upper body left un-tattooed. He folded his arms, and the corner of his lip turned up when his eyes fell upon Ling Tong.

Ling Tong's fiery gaze fixed upon the stranger in kind, and all the fury he was capable of seemed to electrify his skin.


	2. Meeting

* * *

His hair stood on end when his eyes fell on Gan Ning. Ling Tong felt like his mind was short circuiting.

"What is the meaning of this!" Ling Tong shouted, leaping out of his chair.

"Keep your frilly shorts on. I'm one o' you now," Gan Ning said.

"You're a liar," Ling Tong said. "Tell me he's a prisoner!" His hope wilted when none spoke up to assuage his disbelief.

"On the contrary, Ling Tong, he is quite right," Lu Meng said. "Please, be seated."

Stunned, Ling Tong backed away from his seat. He looked at Gan Ning once more, and the smirk the bastard was giving him solidified his intention to leave. Before exiting, he put an arm across his chest and bowed to his company. With unnerving monotone, he said "With all due respect, sirs, I simply cannot abide this insult. I must take my leave."

He left quietly, but stormed through the corridors back to his quarters. He paused when he heard Lu Xun's voice and pitter-pattering footsteps chasing him. He sighed and turned around.

"Listen," Lu Xun said, jogging up to him. "We can't imagine how you must feel, Ling Tong, with the death of your father still a fresh wound in your heart," Lu Xun said, catching his breath. "And we know this is like rubbing spice into it, which we would never want to do. But these are Sun Quan's orders. He believes that you'll understand the context and be able to figure out a working relationship with Gan Ning."

"'The context'?" Ling Tong emphasized, finally exploding. "What the hell context is there when you have to swallow your grief and pride in order to have a 'working relationship' with a cold-blooded, murderous animal like him?" Once again, emphasizing the 'working relationship' with sarcasm.

"I really don't think I ought to spell it out for you. You know that the context is the chaos, and that we need men of capability to replace those who have given their lives to Wu."

"My father can never be replaced, and most definitely not with the one who killed him."

Lu Xun saddened. "I'm truly sorry. They are the commander's orders. Or would you prefer to be reassigned? You might even be discharged if you can't obey."

Ling Tong sighed. He supposed quitting was the only other option. The vow he had made with himself, however, was not going to allow for that either, he realized. He couldn't trust Sun Quan's life in the hands of that ruffian, anyway.

"No," Ling Tong said. "Don't worry. Father wouldn't have wanted that." He sighed again, defeated by reality and his own morals. "Lu Xun, just try to make it to where I won't even have to see him on the battlefield."

Lu Xun nodded, straightfaced but with eyes showing endlessly delight with Ling Tong's acquiesence. Ling Tong smirked indignantly and left him to continue back to his quarters. Once there, he seated himself in the darkness of his chamber, and cradled his forehead in his palms.

* * *


	3. A Good Fight

He wasn't sure where he was, or what time it happened to be. All he knew was that he was that his spine hurt like hell. He pried his eyes open, noting that he was in his room, engulfed in a gray-blue haze that poured into his room from the lattice-paned window. Morning, he deduced. He also deduced--confirmed by the pain in his joints--that he had fallen asleep in his chair. Wincing, he slowly sat up in his chair and massaged the aggravating kink in his neck. He then attempted to extract himself from his chair when he heard a knock at his door.

"Come," he said. A servant of Sun Quan's entered and bowed his head.

"Sir," the boy said. "Master requests your presence at once."

Curious, he said "Understood," and watched the servant take his leave. Ling Tong but wondered what Sun Quan could be in a hurry about. Was Cao Cao making a move? Flattening his wrinkled clothes as best as he could with a couple firm brushes of his hand, he left for Sun Quan's court. Lu Meng was there already, flanking Sun Quan on one side, and was surprised to note Zhou Yu and Huang Gai flanking his other side. Zhou Yu must have returned in the middle of the night. Something big was definitely up.

"Ling Tong," Sun Quan greeted. "Thank you for coming so quickly." Ling Tong nodded. Not long had passed before Lu Xun entered, followed closely by Zhou Tai.

After some awkward minutes, Ling Tong asked, "What's the hold up?"

Lu Meng sighed, then muttered, "That brazen pirate. He'll think twice about taking his sweet time after we're through here." Ling Tong couldn't supress a smirk.

Suddenly the doors to the court slammed open, and the brazen pirate in question waltzed in. He approached the group with casual swagger, fingers laced behind his head. Taking note of the multiple glares he was receiving, he dropped his arms and said, "What?"

"Now that everyone is here," Sun Quan then said. "Zhou Yu, negotiations were a success?"

"Yes. Now that Cao Cao has made clear his intention to take the Southland, Zhuge Liang has agreed to lend us his powers to help stop him. Master Pang Tong is also lending us his assistance. For our part, we will be organizing a fire attack. The plan is our only hope, and we will only have one chance at it." He paused for the other officers nod their understanding. "Huang Gai, your actions will be critical to our plan. You will need at act as if you are surrendering to Cao Cao, and we will need to make it convincing. Remember, if you fail, then it will be all for nothing."

"I understand. Use me as you will, for I would give my life to ensure Wu's protection from the traitor Cao Cao!" the older man said.

"Indeed," Sun Quan said. "Zhou Yu, I hereby make you acting Supreme Commander for the duration of this conflict. We--no, all of Wu--is counting on you. Be sure to get some rest during our march."

"Yes, sir. For yours and the sake of your brother's memory, I shall not give up nor fail. My head be on it," Zhou Yu said with a bow. He then said, "Then the rest of you must make preparations for battle immediately. Cao Cao's fleet is swiftly approaching the Red Cliffs, and we will be engaging him there."

The officers present bowed to signal their leave, except Gan Ning who just nodded at Sun Quan awkwardly. "Who's Cao Cao?" he asked as they exited Sun Quan's court and into the corridor surrounding the inner palace garden. A chorus of sighs answered him.

"Moron," Ling Tong muttered.

"Stop," Lu Meng said, stopping himself and signaling Ling Tong and Gan Ning to do the same. "Ling Tong, you explain it for him." With that, Lu Meng spun on a heel and left with the others. Gan Ning flashed his teeth in a wide grin and whipped his head around to give Ling Tong his undivided attention. Ling Tong huffed and stared daggers into Lu Meng's receding back. It was the first time Lu Meng ever got on his nerves.

"Well?" Gan Ning said, waving a hand in front of Ling Tong's face. "What do I gotta know?"

Ling Tong gritted his teeth as his focus shifted back to Lt. Jerk next to him. "I'll try to say it slow enough for you to understand," he began, relishing in the look Gan Ning gave him. "He declared himself the Prime Minister, but he's not a very good one. He's basically holding the Emperor hostage while he's amasses his power. He's been building up his forces, including an armada he's floating down the Yangtze River now. He'll probably be in a good position to take all of China and usurp the throne if we don't stop him at the Red Cliffs. I can't believe you had no idea."

"Heh. And wha's so bad about that?" Gan Ning asked. "Won't it end the wars if we let him do what he wants?"

"What?" Ling Tong said, exasperated. Did he want to be executed for sedition? Wait, that would be perfect. "If you wanna bend over for a power-abusing despot, go right ahead. You two would probably have a lot in common," Ling Tong said, baiting him.

"Nah, I was only joking," Gan Ning said, smiling, and turning his attention skyward. "See, I'm always lookin' for a good fight. Harder to find somethin' more interesting to do when it's all peace, love, and rainbows."

"You prefer this chaos?"

Gan Ning's gaze returned to Ling Tong. "Heh. Wouldn't I sound like an asshole if I said I did?"

"No, you would just sound like an idiot at best, and pure evil at worst." As he spoke, Ling Tong involunatrily recalled images from his father's funeral. He balled up his fists. What was he doing, letting this dog before him breathe, much less converse with him? He'd kill him before long.

"Cut it out," Gan Ning said, patting Ling Tong's shoulder.

"Hands off if you wanna keep 'em," Ling Tong snapped.

Gan Ning put both his hands up and stepped back to mock him. He shrugged. "Crybaby," he said, turning to leave and tossinga 'Thanks' over his shoulder. Ling Tong touched a finger to his eyes, and cursed the dampness he felt there. He would have to visit his father's grave before they left.

* * *

The Wu forces set up camp some distance downriver from the Red Cliffs. They were blessed with the fortune of continuous fog and mist, under the cover of which they could conceal their fleet from enemy scouts. Once in place, the ships stood ready to transport troops as soon as the fires caught.

Dusk waxed over the Wu forces' main camp. Outside of Sun Quan's tent, Zhou Yu addressed the senior officers in one last conference. "We've received confirmation that Cao Cao welcomes Huang Gai's surrender, and is expecting his ship tonight. All we have left to pray for is a southeast wind that Zhuge Liang is meditating on as we speak. Remember, if something goes wrong, I don't want anybody wasting their lives here. Fall back swiftly and regroup."

"Less experienced soldiers should stay back, then, and let me handle the front in case things get messy." Gan Ning said, inspecting his weapon.

"Excuse me?" Ling Tong interrupted, wondering who he meant by 'less experienced'. "Man, this guy really kills me," he said, gesturing to Lu Meng standing behind him. "He just joined us and he thinks he needs to play hero and show us up!"

"Actually, that works fine," Zhou Yu said. "Gan Ning, you may take your troops to the front and prepare to lead the advance once the fires are set. I'd like to see for myself what you are capable of." On second thought, this was a marvelous plan, Ling Tong thought. Put him at the very front of our lines. Then he might get himself killed, and then I won't have to worry about dealing with him ever again. Pleased, he let his appreciation bubble to the surface as a cruel smile.

"Alright! Leave it to me!" Gan Ning said. "Oh, and suck it, Ling Tong."

The officers stilled themselves when they heard the flaps of the tent nearby rustle, and Sun Quan stepped from it into their presence. "Gentlemen," he said. The hustle and bustle of the camp also died down as the soldiers took to observe him.

"Men," Sun Quan said. "It's good to see so much effort being put in for our final preparations for battle. Morale seems to be high, as it should be. But there is one last thing you all should know. You should know how honored and proud I am to have some of the finest minds and talent in the land carrying out such a crucial plan. If anybody can pull this off, it's you brave heroes. To arms!" Officers and soldiers alike hollered their assent.

The sun fell, and with it Huang Gai's fire ships set sail. A southeastern wind howled, casting off the mist and fog and transforming the overcast into a clear night. From the river, Wu sentries spotted a speck of light on the water heading toward them. As it drew nearer, the speck became a torch, barely illuminating a lone canoe making its way toward them with a single passenger on board.

"Sir!" A messenger kneeled before Zhou Yu, who had been pacing nervously in his cabin on board Sun Quan's flagship. "There is a very strangely-dressed individual who wishes to speak with you. He came by himself on a canoe from up river. We have him detained outside, for he looks very suspicious."

"Strangely-dressed?" Zhou Yu repeated, thinking to himself. Then it dawned. "It must be Master Pang Tong! Show him in at once." The messenger nodded and raced to fetch him. A few moments later, the door opened, and in stepped exactly who he had guessed.

"Master Pang Tong," Zhou Yu said, nodding to him. "Our plan?"

"Quite a lovely lightshow going on a little ways up the river," Pang Tong said, chuckling. "You oughta get up there yourself and take a look."

Elation and disbelief flooded into Zhou Yu's features. A success! Pang Tong nodded to him as if he had read his thoughts, and without delay Zhou Yu raced from his cabin and shouted his orders to scramble. Multiple gongs sounded, and the Wu army set sail for the Red Cliffs. There they witnessed a number of Cao Cao's ships that were completely engulfed in flames, and that they were spreading easily due to the ships being chained together. Despite Cao Cao's great disadvantage for having been caught in such an elaborate trap, he still had a number of troops and officers who put up a stubborn fight upon the boats that were still viable.

Being Sun Quan's guard, Ling Tong's only indication about what was going on came through messenger reports to Sun Quan. He fumed when he overheard a messenger after messenger roll in to say that enemy troops had been throwing themselves overboard not just because of fire, but because of Gan Ning's ferocious example. His forces had cut a path for the main unit to assault Cao Cao's flagship, and was pulling back presently. Ling Tong knew it would have been too good to be true if he had sunk to the bottom of the Yangtze instead.

Cao Cao's forces were routed that night, but he himself slipped through their fingers back to Xu Chang. Nonetheless, Sun Quan declared it a total victory, and took the army back to their main camp. Ling Tong was glad for their victory, but also glad to no longer hear about Gan Ning's incredible accomplishments.

* * *

**A/N:** Longer chap this time, yay! Hope it isn't putting people to sleep yet. .


	4. Breaking Camp

**Shuwazi:** Thank you for taking the time to review, and especially for including good criticism. I have to be honest and say I'm not 100 sure how original I am going to be with this story, since my intention is to share my romanticized version of how their relationship developed. I say that and realize that I might be giving too much away...but I hope my account will satisfy those who want to see the tale more fleshed out. And speaking of fleshed out, I'll try a bit harder to include more feeling/personality as well!

In the meantime, enjoy this next installment!

* * *

A peach-colored dawn stretched across the Yangtze. The sun revealed the pollution of violence that muddied its waters with oil and blood, and its banks were gradually becoming cluttered with a mess of broken sails and charred lumber. Down river, however, the Wu forces had caught a case of optimism from the destruction. They had bloodied the nose of a giant, and their sound triumph convinced them that anything was possible, no matter how slim the odds. After they had buried their dead and tended their wounded, they began to break camp with greater efficiency than ever before, eager to go home and celebrate.

Not afflicted with high spirits, however, was Zhou Yu. He closed a fist in his hand and kneeled in front of Sun Quan as the son of the Tiger exited his tent to greet him and ask what his business was.

"One thing I couldn't take care of, Sire," Zhou Yu said to Sun Quan that morning, "was Zhuge Liang. He disappeared before my assassins could find him."

"Quite alright, Zhou Yu," Sun Quan told him. "We'll concern ourselves with him another day. Please, rise, and don't humble yourself so. You have done a magnificent service to the land, I daresay one that will go down in legend. I ought to be the one bowing to you."

Ling Tong, being within earshot as he helped his troops tie up their supplies, mentally agreed with Sun Quan's assessment, but knew he was too sober to get caught up in the victory itself. He must have understood that with so many loose ends left untied--Cao Cao's escape, Zhuge Liang--that the fighting was going to be far from finished, and therefore they must all start looking even further ahead. One thing Ling Tong's father reminded him of, however, was that you can never plan too far ahead. Ling Tong smiled, knowing his father must have been pleased with the way things turned out at Red Cliffs anyway.

Out of the corners of his eyes, Ling Tong recognized the particular form and gait of one who strolledpast behind him. He thought his nostrils had caught his scent, too. His stomach turned and his heart raced. That smug swagger was starting to make him sick, too, he thought. Gan Ning had some nerve. He nodded to the major he was assisting and pursued to give the feathered bastard a piece of his mind. He wasn't about to let Gan Ning's taste of fame go to his head.

"Hey you there," Ling Tong called to him. "Just because you did so well last night doesn't mean you can just strut around like you own the place and-" he was cut short when a handful of low-ranking soldiers rushed past him to gather around Gan Ning, shouting their praises and swearing oaths of loyalty. Gan Ning had turned around at the sound of Ling Tong's voice, but his attention shifted instantly away to smile at the commotion.

"Just stick with me, and you'll never know the meaning of defeat!" Gan Ning declared, punching a fist into his palm to emphasize. The handful of troops was gradually becoming a mob of them. A big, happy, cheering mob of fans.

"Yeah, he's still a bit rough around the edges," Ling Tong heard Lu Meng say beside him, "but just look how he inspires the men. He inspires a few hundred to work like a few thousand. That's the kind of leader we need if we're going to be up against the likes of Cao Cao, or Zhuge Liang for that matter."

Ling Tong could only huff and scratch behind his ear in response, neither wanting to confirm nor deny Lu Meng's wisdom, especially with the evidence so blatant in front of them.

"We're heading back to Jing immediately. We're gonna be celebrating. Why don't you join us this time?" Lu Meng said.

"We'll see," Ling Tong said, throwing a smile over his shoulder at him. "You know me."

"Indeed. Be seeing you."

Lu Meng left Ling Tong to take a final gander at Gan Ning's remarkable popularity. Ling Tong then went to carry on with his work, failing to notice that Gan Ning had split the crowd and made a beeline for him. "You were saying?" he said loudly to Ling Tong's back, causing him to drop his work and whip around surprised.

Ling Tong then curled up his nose and said, "Do you pirates even know what a bath is?"

Gan Ning burst out laughing. "Nope, I'm 'fraid not. I'm so sorry, does that bother you?" Gan Ning said, stepping closer and fixing his eyes on Ling Tong's. His pungence became overwhelming.

"Yeah. It makes you even more damn irritating. And repulsive," Ling Tong said, not backing down, but feeling increasingly uncomfortable with the barbarian's proximity as much as his malodorous aura. Gan Ning smiled.

"So you say," he said from his throat. He pulled his head back to take in Ling Tong's face. He chuckled and winked at him. "So you say." Gan Ning stepped back and turned around. "Guess I'll go wash up."

Ling Tong knew he had a retort to sling as Gan Ning walked away. The fluid from his throat had disappeared, however, and that strangely, the air around him began to feel very cold.

* * *


	5. Fightin' Words

**Zihuan:** Thanks for the review! I'll do my best to finish this one!

**Shuwazi:** I'd love to tell you about what I've got planned, but I'm afraid it would spoil things quite a bit! Granted, Shinsengoku/RotTK fans can easily guess the events that'll come up...but I will say that I have some battlefield scenes in my head ready to go on a page when I get there! :-D Stay tuned!

* * *

Ling Tong hated parties. Deja vu, Ling Tong thought. This time, however, he was headed toward the boisterous commotion of the victory celebration. He felt exhausted, but he figured he would at least make an appearance--Lu Meng had asked him to come, and since they had achieved total victory against daunting odds, Ling Tong was compelled to satisfy his conscience by at least showing up. Nonetheless, he wanted to be fashionably late enough to make a low-key entrance, and so he took his time ambling through the outdoor corridors, letting the cool midnight breeze impart the tranquility to muster the mental wherewithal he would need.

He showed himself into the banquet hall. He instantly regretted showing up, late or not. All of the officers who had been casually chatting and gorging themselves paused to look up and silently stare at the newcomer.

"What's in the wine? I'm seeing things!" Lu Meng's voice then shouted. He stood and approached Ling Tong with a liquored-up smile. "Do I see Ling Tong standing there! Come, have a seat." He clapped a now-bashful Ling Tong on the back and led him to the table. The party resumed its clamour. Ling Tong's nose scanned the table as well as his eyes: piles of fatty meats and oily delicacies, the tablecloth stained to ruin with such foods and with wine, the endless supplies of which were drowning his comrades' civility. The scene was as unsightly as wild boars gorging themselves on a trash. The cacaphony also threatened Ling Tong's sanity, and when Ling Tong saw that his seat would be beside Gan Ning, all he could think about was how he would flee the scene.

"Good thing you're here. Gan Ning's been asking about you," Lu Meng said, pouring Ling Tong some wine and offering it to him. Ling Tong accepted the drink but swiveled his head to pierce Gan Ning with a questioning glare. Gan Ning shrugged and downed a sizable glup of wine from his chalice.

"And what could he possibly want?" Ling Tong said.

"Probably nothing," Lu Meng said, smiling.

"Would ya shut it, old man?" Gan Ning rasped as he swallowed. He then reached for the pitcher to pour himself more.

"Old man again!" Lu Meng said, seeming more amused by the term than usual. "Alright, you two 'kids' play nice, now." With horror, Ling Tong watched as the older officer moved to seat himself farther down the table near Lu Xun and Zhou Tai. That was the second time he had abandoned him like that. What was going on?

As he pondered his questions, Ling Tong awkwardly tried to keep his thoughts away from the individual next to him. He swore he could feel Gan Ning's eyes crawling all over him like beetles beneath his skin. It nauseated him. Ling Tong could think of only one cure: he downed the rest of his drink in one shot and swiftly poured another, downing that amount in one go as well. Burns so good, he thought.

Gan Ning laughed. "Whoa, take it easy," he said, stilling Ling Tong's attempt to pour another drink by closing a hand over his on the pitcher handle. "Seriously. Lu Meng tells me you don't do this a lot. You'll regret it."

The contact startled Ling Tong for a beat, who glanced down at the Gan Ning's hand. Anger welled up within him. "And just what else has Lu Meng gossiped to you about?" Ling Tong spat through gritted teeth. "And didn't I tell you to keep your filthy hands off me?"

Ling Tong's voice boomed. His outburst had reached the ears of Lu Meng and Lu Xun, who had stopped talking and watched them with concern. "Nothing! Sheesh, and I thought I was an insolent prick," Gan Ning said, releasing Ling Tong. The officers who had been observing them breathed a sigh of relief and cautiously went back to socializing.

Meanwhile, Ling Tong's heart thudded like a battering ram in his chest. It felt like fire where Gan Ning had touched him, yet the heat made him shiver. He was starving, too, but the food before him failed to look appetizing. He couldn't take it anymore. He had showed up, had a drink, and as far as he was concerned, he had completed his social obligations. "I'm leaving," he said, draining the rest of his cup and abruptly rising from his seat.

"Hold yer horses," Gan Ning said, rising as well to look Ling Tong straight in the eye. "It's time you cut this pissy brat routine, isn't it? I am sure as hell gettin' tired of it."

"Better get used to it, because it's all I can do to keep from avenging my father," Ling Tong shot back. "'Till this war is over, anyway," He smirked wickedly. The crowd had grown silent again as all eyes were witnessing the drama unfold.

"Cripes, I can't imagine what he had to deal with when you got in a bad mood," Gan Ning said, folding his arms. "He's probably glad I put him in the ground so he wouldn't have to deal with one more of your tantrums."

Gan Ning blanched as his cruel words flew out of his mouth. Ling Tong had the look. The look of murder. It was there for a split second before Ling Tong's hand flew out with the grace and swiftness he'd honed on the battlefield and yanked out a carving knife from a slab of meat on the table. "You snake bastard!" Ling Tong hissed. Gan Ning blocked as Ling Tong tackled him to the floor and went for his throat. He pinned Gan Ning on his back with furious strength and a mad glare, willing his opponent to give up and die. Gan Ning, however, had caught Ling Tong's hand with the knife and squeezed, keeping the blade from crossing the few lethal inches away it was from his jugular.

"Enough!" the quarrelers heard. Lu Meng's arms had weaved underneath Ling Tong's and roughly yanked him to his feet. He yelped in pain when Lu Meng disarmed him with a sharp twist of his wrist. Gan Ning scooted back and propped himself up on his arms.

"Ling Tong!" Lu Meng said harshly. "I am extremely disappointed in you. What would your father think of you now, being so caught up in your own vengeful thoughts that you ignore the bigger picture? Get out!"

Hurt, disgust, and frustration melded together on Ling Tong's expression, but he would not try to contradict his superior. He obeyed and took his leave. As he departed, Lu Meng turned to Gan Ning, who was still on the floor. "Gan Ning," Lu Meng growled with irritation. "Think before you open your smart mouth next time, or you'll be scrubbing latrines until the day you die. You're dismissed as well." Gan Ning nodded and hopped to his feet, saying nothing upon his exit as well.

Lu Meng turned to rejoin the rest of the gathering. "Carry on," he said, though it was some time before the dust settled in their minds.


	6. As Bad As One

Tipsy on wine--and drunk on self-pity--Ling Tong stumbled toward the stables, attempting to rationalize the embarrassment and shame Lu Meng made him feel--no, it was not just Lu Meng's fault, Ling Tong thought. Foremost on his mind, however, was not his own self-image after being scolded like a child in front of his peers; instead, he wrestled with how he could possibly reconcile vengeance and forgiveness.

He saddled his horse and took off into the dead of night. He had to see father's grave. He had been buried on high ground just a half a mile outside the palace gates. The grounds were also the resting place of the Sun clan, and for those honored generals besides Ling Cao who gave their lives for Wu and its people.

Ling Tong slowed his horse before the grand cemetary arch, an ancient arch that clearly delineated ordinary earth before it from hallowed ground past. Ling Tong tied his horse to a tree and entered the grounds. The road--which looked more like an old scar on a scalp--faded into a carpet of grass, blackened by night, and studded with tuffs of long grass and withered shrubs. The moonlight gave Ling Tong sight enough to step and side-step between the graves, the swishing sound of his footsteps being the only sign of life.

He arrived at the Ling clan plot and approached his father's grave marker. He paused before it, then fell to his knees and bowed his head.

"What do I do, father?" Ling Tong said. There was no response from human, Heaven, nor Earth, save for a playful gust of wind that tustled his hair.

"What do I do!" Ling Tong pleaded. "You always had an answer."

He stayed curled before the gravestone until his back and thighs ached. He had no clue how long had passed when he finally rose to his feet in a daze. He felt depressed, insulted, trapped, and worst of all: sober. He thought the visit to the grave would clear his mind, but it had done nothing. Only the stillness of the air and scenery seemed to lessen the tulmult his emotions were in.

He untied his horse and remounted, feeling his head throb and his stomach complain of hunger. He rode back to the palace with dialed down speed, and after stabling his mount, headed straight for the kitchen. The palace was as quiet and still as he was used to--moreso, given the time of night. He figured the party must have ended as well. He stepped through the kitchen entrance while rubbing his temples with a hand across his brow. He bade the sparse amount of kitchen staff who were present to relax when they stood at attention. He then dropped his hand, and the sight before him nearly made him lose his appetite.

"Keep deh knifes away from 'im," Gan Ning said to the staff with his mouth full, pointing his chin toward Ling Tong. He was at one of the kitchen islands, in a stool hunched over a bowl of rice, vegetables, and a plate of porkchops. He swallowed his bite, then picked up a porcelain cup beside his food and dangled it between his fingers. "Tea?"

Ling Tong sighed, signaling his deflated spirit. Could this be an answer? he thought. He decided he didn't care right now. His head hurt, and he was ready to gnaw his arm off with hunger. "Sure," he said, seating himself across from the pirate. Gan Ning nodded, herding another bite into his mouth as he signaled to the staff from his seat to put together another serving for Ling Tong.

"What's on the menu?" Ling Tong asked.

"Leftovers," Gan Ning replied.

"Ah." A moment of awkward silence floated between them before it clicked in Ling Tong's mind. "Lu Meng throw you out, too?"

"Yeah, if it weren't for your little psychotic break, I'd be happily countin' sheep on a full stomach right about now." As Gan Ning said the words, a servant, with a cautious look, deposited Ling Tong's meal and a tea kettle before going back to work.

"Don't blame it all on me. You oughta think next time you shoot your mouth off. I don't know what you got away with while serving Huang Zu, but you can't just say whatever you feel like. There's more responsibility now that you're a high-ranking officer of Wu." Ling Tong said the words as he dove into his meal.

"I guess," Gan Ning uttered, downing a gulp of tea. Ling Tong mustered no reply--being content with the taste of his meal, he let more silent moments go by between the two for the sake of quickly satisfying his empty belly. He did not notice Gan Ning watching him as the pirate picked fibers of food from his teeth with his fingernail.

"So where did you go?" Gan Ning suddenly asked. "Just now?"

"Visiting my father," Ling Tong said bluntly before shoveling rice into his mouth.

"Ah," Gan Ning said, followed by another moment of awkward silence, where Gan Ning resumed eating. His behavior prompted Ling Tong to lower his rice bowl from his mouth and observe his companion, whom he noted ate with the manners of a feral animal. Beyond that observation, however, Ling Tong noted that he indeed possessed an unusual magnetism. Besides that, there was also something about Gan Ning's face that calmed him. He couldn't decide it it was his intense eyebrows, his angular cheeks, or his thin lips--perhaps a combination.

"You gonna finish that?" Gan Ning said, pointing at a piece of meat left on Ling Tong's plate. Ling Tong pushed the plate of pork towards the pirate for him to continue gorging on.

"I wonder if your field rations could keep you fed," Ling Tong mused aloud, sipping on his cup of tea.

Gan Ning grinned. "Funny you should say, because I told Sun Quan about my frequent bouts of hunger fatigue. He actually OK'd for me to take from you if I had to."

"Over my dead body," Ling Tong said, smiling to convey that he understood the joke. For the moment, Ling Tong forgot that he was supposed to be hating him.

"Ah, there you two are," a voice said. The two officers turned to see Lu Meng enter and approach them.

"Old man!" Gan Ning said. "Care to join us troublesome 'kids'?"

Lu Meng smiled at him, but said in seriousness, ""I'm afraid not, Gan Ning. We must prepare for battle immediately. Come with me and I will brief you." The officers left their dishes behind and followed Lu Meng who continued, "Wei is marching again. Cao Cao seems to have recovered more swiftly than we had anticipated. Our ally, Shu, has requested that we check them by flushing them out of He Fei."

"Why are we helping Shu?" Ling Tong asked.

"It doesn't matter," Lu Meng said, waving a dismissive hand. "It would be in our best interests as well to have He Fei under our control. That way, Cao Cao would not be so quick to make movements knowing that we are just over Xu Chang's horizon."

"So when do we leave?" Gan Ning said.

"As I said, we will be leaving immediately. Sun Quan wants a word with us, first."

They entered the familiar conference room, where Sun Quan was seated at the table along with Lu Xun, Zhou Tai, and Zhou Yu.

"Managed to round them up pretty fast, Lu Meng," Zhou Yu said.

"Just follow the stomach," Lu Meng said. Ling Tong and Gan Ning each gave their own looks of annoyance.

"Indeed. Have a seat," Zhou Yu directed. "As I was saying," he continued when the officers took their seats, "we will need to have some of us stay behind in case this is a ploy by Shu to redirect our attention while they prepare to strike. Zhuge Liang is not a mind to be trifled with, and we must take every precaution."

"But if we don't send enough men," Lu Xun said, "then it will be a long siege, and it will exhaust our army and supplies too much. He have to strike hard and fast before Shu can make any plans."

"Why are we striking in the first place?" Ling Tong interrupted. He knew he was no strategist by the likes of the experienced Zhou Yu or the prodigal Lu Xun, but he had a bad feeling either way. "I don't think there is any reason to take such a big risk any way you slice it."

"Yes," Lu Meng said. "But it's not such a big risk when you consider the benefits of such a location. If we succeed, our clout and bargaining capacity will expand greatly."

Sun Quan took a deep breath before saying, "Thank you for your input, gentlemen. Your points are well-taken. My decision, however, leans toward being cautious with this, as Zhou Yu recommended, but have no doubt that we will be waging a full assault on He Fei's garrison. It is too important to pass up."

"Who will go, then?" Lu Xun asked. Sun Quan scanned the table, coming to his decision with a smirk.

"I will go myself. Lu Meng, Ling Tong, and Gan Ning will accompany me," he said. Ling Tong paled.

"Sir!" Lu Xun interjected, leaping to his feet. "Are you sure that is wise? What if you are in danger?"

"He'll never be in danger with us around," Gan Ning said, leaning back in his chair. "Don't worry your boyish little head about it."

"Indeed. I would be remiss if I did not go to the front. I also want my top strategists here in case Zhuge Liang tries anything," Sun Quan said.

"Yes, sir," Lu Xun acknowledged, reseating himself.

"If there are no more concerns to bring up, then I dismiss this meeting so we may begin preparations."

The officers adjourned. As Ling Tong was making his way for the door, Sun Quan said, "Ling Tong, a word if you will."

Ling Tong's heart was pierced with dread. He could guess the subject of the conference, and it was a conversation he was not ready for. Once everyone was out the door and presumably out of earshot, Sun Quan spoke:

"I heard about what happened between you and Gan Ning." He sighed, gazing upwards. "It pains me to know that there is such animosity between our two of our best officers." He then lowered his eyes to Ling Tong's, and put a firm hand on his shoulder before saying, "You realize we cannot afford to harbor resentment. It breeds distrust and corrodes the unity of this army. I simply cannot tolerate it while our security from Wei and Shu is foremost on our priorities."

Ling Tong bowed his head. Sun Quan continued:

"Ling Tong, I do not mean to admonish you unjustly. You should know that I trust my life with your abilities as much as I did with your father's. That is why I will overlook the matter if you can promise to me here and now that whatever problem you have with Gan Ning can be put aside until the war is over and both of your services are no longer required."

Ling Tong's head drooped. "I promise," Ling Tong said, nodding. "I've been giving it some thought. Making Gan Ning pay for my father's death wouldn't satisfy anybody. And I think my old man would have been disappointed with who I had turned into at the party." Ling Tong shook his head. "He always said, 'Master what ails you.' No, upon my honor, I won't let my grief cause any more problems."

Sun Quan smiled, shaking Ling Tong lightly before releasing his shoulder. "Glad to hear it," he said. "Try to get some sleep in. We have a long road ahead." 


	7. Killing Time

**A/N:** Woo, longest chapter yet!

**Shuwazi:** I really, truly appreciate the time you've taken already to give me feedback, so don't let my expectations worry you! Feedback is hard to come by, much less good feedback like you've provided. I hope I haven't moved too fast with this piece. It is hard to find the right pace going with stories, because you want to include good detail and interesting dialogue, and have your characters/conflicts develop naturally, but at the same time you don't want to overburden your reader with unnecessary information--it's a tough call, and is a big reason why writing is so challenging!

Anyway, I hope more readers can find time to drop a few words if they like or dislike this story, and what made them stop reading if they did. Thanks in advance! Now let's get on with it!

* * *

Nearly one hundred thousand is what Sun Quan mustered--he certainly was not taking any chances on this campaign to the North. Ling Tong rode his horse at a slow cantor beside rows of his fellow soldiers. Their forces seemed to stretch from horizon to horizon along the road. Ling Tong watched the foot soldiers march with wavering discipline, their backs appearing to warp and ripple in the summer heat.

Morale should get better, Ling Tong thought.

Morale did improve greatly when their forces arrived Wan castle. They had seized it from Wei with little resistance. The troops were happy to have a chance to rest and rehydrate, and it was a good fortification to set up headquarters. However, before the assault on He Fei castle--the final bastion of defense for the city--the Wu forces were forced to camp until scouts could report back on Wei's defensive set up.

"We want to make this campaign quick, and therefore need a plan. A good plan comes from good information, which is why we have to wait, I'm sorry," Lu Meng had said. "Perhaps use the time to look over the terrain since this is a new area to many of you, or go train with your men. Just be ready to report at any time."

Ling Tong decided to take him up on the first part of his advice. Lu Meng let him borrow one of his tents set up outside the castle as well as a map of the region. He didn't usually have the mind or the interest in such a thing, but right now he figured it couldn't hurt to be prepared. He blamed it on pre-battle jitters.

Lu Meng had gone on a non-specific errand, and Ling Tong him to his study. Ling Tong enjoyed the peace as he looked over topography lines, and smiled when he heard distant clashes and battle cries of sparring matches. The sounds were a familiar soundtrack in his life, and strangely, the sounds comforted him--he was happy to know the men were staying energetic and busy with managing their own pre-battle anxiety.

"Knock, knock!" a voice called. Ling Tong recognized the source and instantly and shut his eyes tight, wishing he could turn invisible. Gan Ning entered, pushing aside the tent flaps with a hand and peered around.

"Oh, you're here? Where's the old man?" Gan Ning asked.

"He's with Sun Quan," Ling Tong said, feeling a tinge guilty about lying. He figured it was a small price to pay.

"Nah, that's okay, I'd prefer to talk to you anyway," Gan Ning said, unsheathing a dagger to spin in his hand while he talked. "Just keep your distance."

Ling Tong looked up at him from the map, but didn't bother lifting his head. "What do you want?" he asked.

"I'm bored," Gan Ning said. "What is that? A map of He Fei? You turnin' into Lu Xun all of a sudden?"

"Just for today. I get bored, too, you know."

"Too bad, I was hopin' your balls had dropped."

Ling Tong rolled his eyes and went back to studying Hei Fei's terrain. He wasn't going to let whatever the idiot was saying get to him anymore. He froze completely when Gan Ning's dagger smacked into the wood of the table, embedded between two plateaus on the map.

"I mean it," Gan Ning said, approaching the table to yank out the dagger. "Everyone else around here ain't got a real pair. I think they just humor me. But you," He pointed his dagger toward him. "You genuinely hate my guts."

"Oh, was it that obvious?" Ling Tong spat. Why the hell hasn't he left yet?

"Which makes you my perfect training partner!" Gan Ning shouted, roughly grabbing Ling Tong and yanking him from his seat. After a couple steps, Ling Tong shook him off.

"I can walk just fine, idiot. And I haven't even agreed. You're too pushy," Ling Tong said, turning to go back to reading.

"Now that's something. You aren't going ballistic on me. I'm spooked."

"Then leave. Then we'll both feel better," Ling Tong said, sitting back down.

"I'll tell Lu Meng that you aren't playing nice," Gan Ning said, exaggerating by drawing a line with his finger across his throat.

"Pushy AND a tattle-tale. What are you, five-years-old?"

"Funny. Just come on."

"And if there is an 'accident' that leaves you mortally injured?" Ling Tong said, feigning concern.

Gan Ning laughed. "Like hell they would believe that," he said. He had a point, Ling Tong thought. Damn. He sighed. A spar did sound more exciting than looking at some squiggles on paper.

"My halberd's at my tent. I'll meet you in a couple of minutes," Ling Tong said, not entirely sure what had come over him that let Gan Ning have his way. Was it Sun Quan's words? He was starting to spook himself.

"Alright!" Gan Ning said happily, darting out of the tent. Yep, he's five-years-old, Ling Tong thought, unaware that he, too, had been smiling.

* * *

Ling Tong had to admit--practice with Gan Ning had been simultaneously most satisfying and the most exhausting 'training' of his military life. He had the skill and luck to keep Gan Ning occupied with the business end of his halberd, and therefore away from his short-range daggers. When the his partner managed to break through, however--which he did about half of the time every set of blows--Ling Tong fought for his life as he deflected his partner's lightning strikes with the handle of his weapon.

During such a bout, Ling Tong finally seized an opportunity to hook one of Gan Ning's arms, pull him through, then strike him on his back with the blunt side of his weapon. Gan Ning stumbled forward, but when he steadied, he laughed, straightening himself and scratching his lip.

"Not bad," Gan Ning said, turning around. "I'm wonderin' why they don't put you at the front. You and me would tear 'em up."

"Front lines aren't everything," Ling Tong said, spearing the ground with his weapon so he could remove his gloves. "Someone's gotta protect Sun Quan in case you screw up."

"Heh. You'll get bored sittin' back there, 'cause I don't screw up."

"Don't get too overconfident. It could put us all in danger out there, you know."

"You really think Yue Jin's got a trap set up for us?"

Ling Tong paused at the sudden question, unable to guess what was going through Gan Ning's mind. "I do," he then said.

Gan Ning appeared what Ling Tong nearly guessed as thoughtful, but his partner revealed little else of a reaction. "C'mon, let's take a break." he then said, sheathing his daggers. Ling Tong nodded, willing to let the conversation go for the sake of cooling off. He wiped his sweat-slicked brow with a wrist, then hoisted his halberd out of the ground to carry with him as he walked with Gan Ning to the fresh water basins. Inspecting his weapon, Ling Tong said, "No one has ever scratched Flying Nimbus like you have."

"You're flying what?" Gan Ning asked, giving a look of genuine confusion.

"Flying Nimbus," Ling Tong reiterated. "Take it easy next time, or I'll be using it to spear you with a repair bill."

"You askin' me to go easy? Fat chance, you wimp!" Gan Ning said. "And just what the heck is a Flyin' Nimbus?"

"A nimbus is a type of cloud. Like the ones hanging over the horizion there," Ling Tong said, pointing.

"I don't find those very intimidating. That name the best you can do?"

"Well, I forgot my Flaming Dragon Skull-splitter Axe at home," Ling Tong joked.

Gan Ning burst out laughing. "You know, Tong," Gan Ning began, slapping Ling Tong on the shoulder, "despite your unbecoming tendency to go into blind homicidal rages," he then continued, twirling a dagger between the fingers of his other hand. "I like you. You ain't a stuffy old goody-two-shoes like Zhou Yu and the old man are. And you ain't a kid like Lu Xun, nor all quiet like that Zhou Tai. You got spunk, and that's always interestin'."

"If you say so," Ling Tong said. They reached the water basin, and each ladled themselves a cool drink and doused themselves liberally. Ling Tong thought more about what Gan Ning had just admitted to him. Meanwhile, he watched the water run over Gan Ning's body, letting the water lead his scrutinizing gaze. There was nothing scrawny or svelte about the man--he carried a full, burly physique that belied an uncanny quickness and grace. He had a mild tan and an unblemished complexion, save for his tattoos that crumpled with his muscles over half his torso. He was unaware that he had been shamelessly staring when Gan Ning cleared his throat, garnering his attention. Blushing, Ling Tong distracted himself with the ladle and took another sip of water, having felt his throat go dry again.

At that time, Lu Meng had appeared. "There you boys are," he said. Ling Tong and Gan Ning greeted him, and he then said, "Our scouts have reported in. Sun Quan is summoning us to his quarters in the castle, and wants to begin before the sun sets." The sun was on its descent when Lu Meng had alerted them, and was just about to graze the horizon when the head officers were finally all assembled in Sun Quan's presence. Sun Quan had summoned Lu Meng, Gan Ning, and Ling Tong, as well as stalwarts Zhu Zhi and Pan Zhang. A map of He Fei had also been laid on a table for them to reference.

"Your news?" Sun Quan said.

The messenger clasped a fist in his palm and nodded. "Sir! Our scouts have reported that Yue Jin is camped at the river, just before the Xiao Shi Bridge. They also estimate their numbers to be 7,000 troops at best."

Sun Quan kept his face straight, but could not conceal his elation in his eyes. "Pathetic!" he said. "We'll slaughter them."

Lu Meng spoke up. "Sir," he said. "It is said that Zhang Liao also prowls He Fei. He is one of Wei's fiercest generals. He and his cavalry are not to be underestimated if they are here, even with the odds in our favor."

"So I've also heard. But what other option will he think he has other than to retreat when he sees our numbers?" Sun Quan said.

"True," Lu Meng continued. "It is also very possible that he is in Han Zhong assisting Cao Cao right now. Yue Jin, however, is also capable in his own right. Wei is likely aware of our movements by now as well, and will be sending him reinforcements."

"Then there is no time to waste. We must strike immediately!" Sun Quan said.

"Leave that to us!" Gan Ning said. "Lu Meng and I will work everything out."

"Indeed. Based on the report, I believe a pincer will best take care of Yue Jin. I will lead a direct assault from here," Lu Meng said, pointing to a mark on the map northwest of Wan Castle, "while Gan Ning can use the river to attack from the other side of the bridge. We will literally crush them, should we time it right. It will be quick and painless, and quicker we can eliminate Yue Jin and begin our siege on He Fei Castle, the better. Just keep your head cool out there, Gan Ning."

"Anything you say," Gan Ning replied, reclining against a tent post.

Meanwhile, as Ling Tong listened to Lu Meng's strategizing spill from his lips, his mind had encountered a puzzle concerning the information. He was well aware that he lacked the gifts of Lu Meng and Lu Xun, and so his eyes searched the map for an answer he thought he may have missed. His patience with his own ability grew thin, however, and finally said, "Is that where he is really camped?"

The other officers were all ears toward the sudden input from Ling Tong. The messenger, realizing he was being addressed, jumped and nodded vigorously.

"There's something wrong here, or there is something I'm not getting. If they know we're coming, then I doubt he would pitch camp in such an vulnerable spot." Ling Tong turned to the messenger. "Did anything about his camp look...off? Or unusual?"

"I-I-I'm not sure," the messenger sputtered.

"I suspect it's phony, or Yue Jin has something clever in mind," Ling Tong said.

"Unlikely," Lu Meng said. "There is nothing strategically unsound about where they are. Xiao Shi is a vital chokepoint, and will certainly try to use that to their advantage against our superior numbers, if for nothing else but to hold us off until reinforcements come."

"Don't get too worried, Lu Xun lite," Gan Ning said. "I'm only gonna need a couple small junks and about a hundred or so to come along." He looked at Ling Tong. "Ling Tong can look after the rest of my men 'till I get back."

"And just what am I gonna do with three hundred extra troops?" Ling Tong said, annoyed.

Gan Ning smiled. "Try to keep 'em entertained," he said.

"Alright," Sun Quan said. "Hop to it. We need to move quickly," Sun Quan said. "Ling Tong and I will bring up our men when you've succeeded in trapping Yue Jin. Pan Zhang, Zhu Zhi, ready our men."

"Sir!" they acknowledged. Everyone else nodded their assent, except for Ling Tong, who had lingering misgivings. The plan seemed too simple to him, especially if Zhang Liao was lurking and was as fearsome as his reputation boasted. As the generals dispersed from the tent, Ling Tong resolved not to allow Sun Quan out of his sight once the battle commenced.


	8. Animality

**A/N:** Many apologies for the slow update! I've had a busy couple of days. v.v But in return for your patience, I'm putting up TWO chapters (though originally one chappy, but I decided to split it). The first is mostly a made-up Wu documentary (ficumentary?), though, and so I hope that doesn't bore anyone too much.

**Shuwazi:** I admit, I don't have a lot of experience with writing battle scenes! I gave it a whirl here with these installments, though, although I'm not sure how well it was executed. My goal, though, is to provide the set up for...well, you'll see! But in combination with what clogz said, I do plan on revising the timeline a bit more and making sure there's good enough "space" between events once this story draft is complete. In that way, perhaps I'll be able to smooth out some of the shifts in character.

Also, I added in apostrophes to denote thoughts in this chapter to test it out. Thanks again for your continued advice

**clogz:** Thank you for your detailed review! I'm happy that you're finding the story entertaining despite not being a fan of yaoi/shonen-ai stuff. I hope you'll keep reading. And you're absolutely right about the confusing timeline--I will correct it! Thank you again.

**Suuki:** Thank a lot as well for taking the time to review. I'm slipping in lines from DW games all over the place--not because I'm unoriginal (hee hee), but also because I wanted to make this story seem like it could integrate with the games.

Thanks again to everyone who has read this far, and I hope you enjoy!

* * *

Ling Tong was up before the sun had a chance to rise again. The call to arms roused him from a restless slumber--a slumber disturbed by intermittent patches of nightmares, as far as he could recall. He knew they had arisen from his unassuaged doubts about today's advance. He strapped on his leather armor piece by piece, wrapping the rest of his body under durable linens, all the while praying earnestly that his bad feeling was unfounded.

With halberd in tow, he left his tent prepared both physically and mentally as best as he could. He fetched his mount quickly and headed to the northern gate of Wan castle, where the main army was assembling. He kicked his horse into a gallop, the familiar rush of excitement before a battle temporarily anesthetizing all other feelings.

He reined his horse when he caught sight of Sun Quan and Lu Meng. "My lord, Sir," Ling Tong greeted Sun Quan and Lu Meng respectively. They both turned and nodded at him. Ling Tong looked around, internally beginning to fume at the possibility that a certain blonde barbarian comrade of his had slept in.

"Where's Gan Ning?" Ling Tong asked as level-headedly as he could muster.

"He already left," Lu Meng said. "He said to start out once the sun had breached the horizon, which should be in just a few minutes."

"Ah," Ling Tong said, ashamed of his temper. He looked around at the sea of battle-ready soldiers who seemed barely able to confine their emotions within a low hum of chatter. If there was a time to let his own emotions get away from him, this was it.

After some moments of listening to the background noise of restless, anxious soldiers, Lu Meng suddenly said, "I'm off." As Lu Meng hollered for his men to march, Ling Tong looked to the horizon where indeed the sun had broke.

* * *

It was mid-morning by the time Lu Meng's vanguard reached the border of Yue Jin's camp. Campfires were still smoldering. Lu Meng gave the order for the raid, and his troops swarmed the grounds, spearing through tents and destroying stockpiles. It was not long, however, before they noticed something was amiss when they pulled back clean blades and barrels and crates burst with nothing inside them.

"The camp is deserted?" Lu Meng asked, mostly to himself while looking around at the wreckage but seeing no other sign of the enemy. After the fact was confirmed, Lu Meng ordered a full halt before the Xiao Shi bridge, suspicious of a trap and uncertain whether or not to risk walking into it. He weighed the possibilities quickly but carefully: his forces were still in high spirits, and Gan Ning would likely be hung out to dry if he stalled for much longer. "Advance carefully, men, and keep a sharp eye out!" he ordered.

With silent apprehension, Lu Meng crossed over the bridge.

"Finally!"

Gan Ning's unit came around a bend and caught sight of the shore he was after: north of Yue Jin's camp, at a crook in the river before it curved around eastward then south for about a mile before bending west and passing underneath the Xiao Shi.

"The enemy!" one of his soldiers said.

Surprised, Gan Ning looked to shore where, upon a hill up from the banks, he saw a sentry disappear behind the cliff.

"Damn. Looks like this is ain't gonna be subtle," Gan Ning said, "but we can still catch 'em with their pants down."

He and his hundred troops dragged themselves ashore through a border of swampy overgrowth, then, while drawing their weapons, ascended a sloping bluff along the bank. Crawling over the hill, Gan Ning froze in surprise. Before him and his troops were about a dozen or so Wei soldiers on horseback, flanked by a garrison of infantry.

"Gan Ning, we've been expecting you, you sea rat!" a horseman said. The horse itself, a rich chestnut color, had its shanks plated in silver, and royal blue tassels adorned the saddle and reins. The rider himself was unusual as well, with lamellate armor straited to look like feathers. His shoulderguards held a regal arrangement of steel-shafted plumage and talons, and his head was crowned with an embroidered helmet, sprouting horns from the back, but sculpted to look like crane's wings folded over past his ears. To Gan Ning, it was obvious that that his adversary held high rank.

"And just who the hell are you?"

"I am the great General of Wei, Yue Jin! And you, filthy cur, aren't worthy to stain my blade with your blood," the horsemen said, spinning a thick spear behind him effortlessly before thrusting it in a gesture toward Gan Ning.

"You may know my name, but you clearly haven't heard much else about me."

"Oh, I have. You were once Huang Zu's lapdog, and only because of--who was it? An aunt of yours? No matter, I'm sure she made lovely spoils for Sun Quan."

"She got away long before he came along, and I made sure of it. Any more hot air you wanna float my way?"

"Hah! You mock her honor! The only thing a used goods like her will be good for is a brothel! I wouldn't be surprised if she were baiting crows with a rope 'round her neck by now."

"Quiet! I'll tear your head off for those words!" As Gan Ning spoke, he gripped his daggers and lunged. Yue Jin grinned at him, and reined his horse back as his cavalry closed around and blocked Gan Ning's assault. Undeterred and enraged by Yue Jin's insult, Gan Ning leapt with the grace of a tiger. Airborne, he parried incoming spear jabs, before planting his own blades deep into an enemy horseman's torso. He used his implanted daggers to hoist himself upon the back of the horse properly, completing the hijacking by extracting the daggers and shoving the unfortunate soldier from the horse's back.

Yue Jin, now having backed off and wading amidst his infantry, could not mask his surprise at Gan Ning's determination. The Wei General shouted to attack, and with some hesitation, his infantry thrust their spears forward and charged. Following Gan Ning's lead, however, were the one-hundred soldiers who had charged right behind him with inspired ferocity. The forces collided with an explosion of shouts that split the calm morning air for miles.

With effort Gan Ning maintained balance on his stolen horse, lashing out in bursts of rapid strikes to cut down every last horsemen that threatened to trample his men. He found himself tangling with two at once when he heard a shout: "Fall back!"

Gan Ning knew he would never even dream of hearing that order fall from his own lips, and so realized that Yue Jin had ordered the retreat. "What, already?" he shouted. He and his horse staggered after Gan Ning parried a particularly brutal blow from his adversaries, who then took the opportunity to spur their mounts and gallop away. Growling indignantly at the backs of his enemies, and at Yue Jin's in particular, Gan Ning bellowed, "Cowards!" He spurred on his horse, shouting, "Don't let that bastard escape!" He and his army sprinted as well as they could to keep the Wei soldiers in sight. Gan Ning neither noticed nor cared that he easily pulled ahead from the cover of his troops over the

He slowed his pursuit of the Wei general when he watched him and his cavalry vanish into the thick foliage of woods. "Hold it!" Gan Ning shouted to his men who were catching up.

"Hang on. I'm pissed, but I'm not stupid enough to have us rush into a deathtrap like that. I'm happy to believe that he's a _pants wetter_, though," Gan Ning said to his men, but turning to yell the words 'pants wetter' through the trees.

Ambush or not, he considered the fact that Yue Jin had clearly anticipated his assault. And where was Lu Meng? The thought struck him that he had been led out on purpose. Cursing, he ordered his men to turn back.

"Let's go find Lu Meng," he said.

* * *

Meanwhile, Sun Quan had grown rather impatient. His horse stamped its hooves as if it, too, were sick of waiting.

"Why do you think there hasn't there been any word, Ling Tong?" Sun Quan asked over his shoulder.

"He may still be engaging the enemy, lord," Ling Tong replied.

"Even if that is so, there's no harm in having a look,"

"I don't believe that is wise. Shouldn't we wait for Lu Meng's word?"

"Is it not often hesitation that allows victory to elude its pursuers, is it not?"

"How poetic. Sounds like you've already made up your mind."

"Hah! Indeed! You know me better than anyone."

Ling Tong sighed to himself as the order was given to advance. The sun had just passed its peak in the sky when they moved upon Yue Jin's 'camp'. Ling Tong took a brief nip from his canteen, despite having to wipe what felt to him like lakes of sweat off of his brow every few minutes--well aware that it had to last him for the rest of the day at least.

'The place looks ransacked, but there's no sign of a battle,' Ling Tong thought, resecuring the canteen on his waist. 'Perhaps it was trick after all.'

"That Lu Meng probably got so caught up that he's chased them across the bridge, and he didn't bother to let us know," Sun Quan said, bringing his horse around to casually inspect the wreckage.

"Something doesn't seem right," Ling Tong said, approaching him in his horse. "There's no sign of bloodshed. Sir, I beg that you reconsider this advance."

"Nonsense! It looks like they took what they could and escaped before Lu Meng could engage them. Why on Earth would we let them scurry away, just to infest more of what ought to belong to Wu?" Sun Quan replied. Ling Tong held his tongue, suddenly unsure of his point--after all, it was merely based on a hunch.

Sun Quan sighed. "I know you've been worried. Alright, in case you're right, lets advance as far as past the Xiao Shi, then wait for Lu Meng's word."

Uncomfortable as the idea was, Ling Tong was far less comfortable with going any further than that. "Sounds fair," he said.

* * *

Lu Meng's forces had well enough cleared the Xiao Shi bridge, but he could still not determine any sign of Wei activity. He, with his sizable force, had made them take the main road--despite the heat, he hoped to aid tall grass and trees as much as possible, and had the men march close together to intimidate any ambush parties. The further they marched, however, the clearer to him by the minute that an ambush was likely--the air was much too silent. The stretch of road they were on now cut through a forested patch, with little grassy buffer on either side. The pass was thin enough so that some leaves from trees on each side overlapped. He heard his men sigh in comfort when they passed through the welcome, albeit small clumps of shade. His paranoia grew exponentially, making him wonder if every tree had an enemy soldier behind it, or up in its branches. He analyzed every scent that passed under his nose, scruitinized every sound that entered his ear, and let not even a quiver of a leaf pass by him unnoticed.

"Sir! There is someone approaching our front, on horseback" a lieutenant reported.

"Stop the men," he said to his mounted lieutenants nearby. "Quietly."

The lieutenants brought their horses around to the divisions and halted them with gestures. The troops were visibly confused. 'Now let's keep them from panicking,' Lu Meng thought. Concerned, Lu Meng rode to the front of his forces to see an individual on horseback. The rider spurred his horse on and held high in his hand a red scarf. He also had trailing him a thin outfit of soldiers on foot.

"Ah, it's Gan Ning," Lu Meng said. He rode out to greet him and to lead him and his men to where the vanguard was halted.

"Hmm, so you saw Yue Jin?" Lu Meng said after hearing Gan Ning's report of events.

"Yeah. I couldn't catch him, though. I think that was the point, though. We should go check on Sun Quan."

"Agreed. We'll send someone ahead to inform him. We need to reassess what Wei is up to."

He then returned to his troops and pulled aside a lieutenant, saying, "Ride back and inform Sun Quan. We are pulling back to the bridge, with a demand that we reassess what the hell is really going on out here."

"Sir!" the lieutenant acknowledged. He spun his horse around and galloped off. Lu Meng watched the lieutenant until he was out of sight.

"That's it, men," Lu Meng then said. "Let's head back."

Suddenly, an arrow struck the haunches of a lieutenant's horse, causing the animal to buck and throw its rider.

In seconds, dozens more were falling upon the army. Bloodied soldiers fell around him dead, and the panic in his men that Lu Meng hoped to avoid swept over like a tidal wave as man and horse were struck down by a shower of arrows. "Ambush!" they shouted, scrambling into defend themselves and view their attackers. They hardly had time, for in the moment the arrows were still falling, Wei soldiers had sprung from behind the tree trunks to smash the Wu forces in a vice.

Aided by Gan Ning's voice, Lu Meng desperately ordered a general retreat, wanting above all else to get the troops away from the woods and away from the concealed archer fire. He readied his pike and swept it through the sea of blue armor at his horse's flanks, trying to make it easier for his men to escape with life and limb. As the last of his men fled down the road to bask in open sky, Lu Meng himself then fled, ignoring the whizzing of a myriad arrows. As he left the sun-speckled shadow on the road, he saw that his men were already staining the meadows with blood as more Wei troops sprung from the grass to engage them.

Striking down Wei soldiers, Gan Ning shouted over the loud cries of battle frenzy and death throes. "Yue Jin! Show yourself!"

"Miss him already? Sorry, both of you idiots are my prey today," a voiced called back, belonging to a large man on horseback. His appearance was as intimidating as Yue Jin's--his shoulder mantle held the impression the heads of mad bulls, one on each shoulder, with glided horns sprouting out from the heads. His helmet, too, held bull horns instead of crane wings. He also gripped a sturdy pike in one hand, and the severed head of the messenger in the other. He tossed the head by its hair toward the officers, saying, "We're one step ahead you, so to speak!"

"And who are you, asshole?" Gan Ning asked.

"It's Li Dian!" Lu Meng said to him. "What an unpleasant surprise." He then blanched, thinking, 'Could Zhang Liao be here as well?' He speared through a half a dozen more enemy soldiers and yelled to Gan Ning, "Gan Ning! Take your men and return to our lord! He may not be safe!"

"Like hell, old man! I can't leave ya in the middle of somethin' like this!" Gan Ning replied.

Furious, Lu Meng barked, "I am giving you a direct order! You will not disobey me!"

Unphased by Lu Meng's tone, Gan Ning replied, "I'll go, but my men will stay."

"Fine, but just go!"

"Good luck, old man!" Gan Ning shouted, spurring his horse out of the clashes of blades and back onto the road toward the Xiao Shi bridge. Suddenly, his horse whinned in agony, and Gan Ning pitched forward along with the beast into the dirt. Cushioned a bit by the animal, Gan Ning tucked and rolled back onto his feet. He turned around to see an arrow lodged into the horse's rear flank, with many more flying toward him and landing dangerously close in the soil around him.

"Dammit," he absent-mindedly said as he bolted into the tall grass to escape.

* * *

'Why did I think he'd keep his word?' Ling Tong thought. 'I guess I don't know him that well.'

Indeed, Sun Quan's main force had advanced well beyond the Xiao Shi bridge along the main road after seeing the fresh tracks of Lu Meng's vanguard. Sun Quan was being overeager, Ling Tong knew, but he couldn't think of a good reason yet to check his lord's enthusiasm.

'It's too quiet,' was all Ling Tong could think. He scanned his surroundings, and his eyes came to rest on a patch of forest just a couple dozen yards out. Suddenly, his heartbeat quickened.

"My lord, I think this is far enough," Ling Tong said, bringing his horse alongside Sun Quan's.

Sun Quan sighed. "Ling Tong, where on earth has your courage been?" he said.

"With all due respect, there is courage, but then there is prudence."

"Is something the matter?"

Ling Tong paused to gaze at the forest again. The same chill of suspicion ran him through. "There are no birds singing. Somebody might be out here," he said.

Sun Quan laughed. "Who? Yue Jin? Let him come to his own slaughter, then."

Ling Tong looked away as Sun Quan's laughter faded. He then brought his head back and stared intently at the forest that disturbed him. The front of the army was already beginning to pass by it.

"I'm going to ride ahead," Ling Tong said. Sun Quan furrowed his brow but nodded, and Ling Tong spurred his horse to trot toward the front in order to investigate his doubts. Though the distance was a hinderance for him in dispelling his fears, he passed the forest with the front without detecting a clue of an ambush. He looked behind him at the passing trees, then brought his head to the front and sighed. 'Maybe I have forgotten my courage,' he thought.

His jaw slacked and his mouth dried, however, when behind him he heard the rolling thunder of a stampede, followed by the troops howling in fright. Ling Tong roughly jerked on his horse's reins, causing the animal to rear in a swift turnabout. He watched as over a hundred cavalrymen charged out of the forest that he had been watching not seconds ago. Leading the charge was a robust man, clad in armor that blazed and glinted in the sunlight like dragon scales, with a deep blue cape flapping behind him. His shoulders were gilded, feathered dragon wings, and a silver helmet adorned with the sharp, black antlers of a dragon as well. In both hands, he wielded twin short-handle, concave-bladed axes, flaring one out to the side as he gripped his reins with one hand and rode hunched over close to his horse's mane.

With the voice of one possessed by a demon, the horseman roared, "I, the dragon Zhang Liao, have come to tear the heart out of Wu!"


	9. Man to Man

Zhang Liao's cavalry crashed into Sun Quan's force at full speed. Steel-shoed horse hooves easily trampled the frightened Wu troops, and those who could stand were swiftly hacked to pieces. Instead of fighting, many Wu troops doubled over one another to flee the intense onslaught, especially from Zhang Liao, whose ruthlessness crushed very shred of morale. Heat was radiating off of him like an aura of fire, with flames fed only by his savage bloodlust alight on his face. With every slash he delivered, he bathed in a shower blood. In this way, Zhang Liao scattered Sun Quan's forces like startled minnows, and swept aside straggling infantrymen with such brutal strokes of his Twin Dragons, every sweep bringing him yards closer to Sun Quan, his intended target.

Sun Quan, astounded by the blue dragon's rampage and the spell he put on his troops, yanked his horses' reins desperately to try and escape. He cursed and shouted at his troops to make way, but in their panicked state, his orders were futile as they weaved past him like a raging current, preventing his horse from moving. Immobilized by his own forces, Sun Quan drew his sword as Zhang Liao bore down on him.

"Now you die!" Zhang Liao yelled, bringing a blade down on Sun Quan. Sun Quan parried the blow and winced as the power dissipated and rippled through him. His sword pinned, he opened his eyes, only see the blade's twin come over Zhang Liao's shoulder, aimed to split his head wide open.

Then, a shadow drew across his eyes. He focused to see a familiar halberd crossed with Zhang Liao's axe. The halberd-bearer back kicked then flung the assailant away, lifting him from Sun Quan's sword as well. Sun Quan turned, knowing his savior to be Ling Tong, and said, "Thank Heaven!" With Ling Tong was his handful of his personal guard plus Gan Ning's 300 additional men, who swiftly took the place of Sun Quan's fleeing troops. Ling Tong appeared to not have heard his master's word of gratitude, for he did not pause for a moment in wedging himself between Sun Quan and Zhang Liao with unrelenting attacks to the Wei officer.

"Get out of my way, insect!" Zhang Liao said, crashing his weapon edges into Ling Tong's. Ling Tong had seen that Zhang Liao was as fearsome as the rumors, and experienced it for himself in spades. He found himself defending himself much in the same way he had with Gan Ning, and was thankful for the practice after all. Though Zhang Liao's strength was much more staggering, Ling Tong's temper had begun to rise.

"Getting a little arrogant, aren't we?" Ling Tong said, thrusting with his weapon. He then turned to Sun Quan and shouted, "Get out of here!"

Hesitating, Sun Quan said, "What if you don't make it!"

"I can hold him!" Ling Tong assured, grunting as he deflected blow after blow. Nodding grimly, Sun Quan turned his steed to escape back to Wan Castle, deciding to simply cut down any soldier that impeded him, Wu or Wei.

"Oh no, you will not get away from me!" Zhang Liao called after him, attempting to push aside Ling Tong with his blades. Instead, a halberd crossed between him and his horse as Ling Tong forced him into self-defense while Sun Quan made a break for it.

"Push 'em back!" Ling Tong ordered his men, seeing that the Wei cavaliers had lost their momentum. His soldiers outnumbered the Wei forces three to one, and the element of surprise had left Wei's side. Sun Quan's frightened soldiers had begun to flow back into the battle, their former panic evaporating quickly. They howled their vengeance as they rushed the horsemen and attacked at will.

Realizing his disadvantage, Zhang Liao struck out at Ling Tong with both Dragons, smashing the staff of Ling Tong's weapon as he blocked. Ling Tong reeled, and Zhang Liao moved to break off their entanglement.

"Fall back!" he hollered. To Ling Tong, he said, "You did well, but you have not seen the last of me. I will return to burn you and the land of Wu to ashes!" He then kicked his horse to a gallop, and with his surviving horsemen, made a run back to the forest they had emerged from.

"You won't escape me, Zhang Liao! Not for what you've done today!" Ling Tong shouted. He gave chase, breaking alone and trailing Zhang Liao. Zhang Liao disappeared between the tree trunks, and without hesitation Ling Tong leapt into the woods, believing Zhang Liao too dangerous to let evade him. He forced his horse to leap and gallop over dead wood and other impeding detritus, seeing Zhang Liao's form grow more and more obscure anyway.

A swish of air caught Ling Tong's attention, and suddenly, a sharp, searing pain ripped through his thigh. He grasped it with a hand, feeling hot blood in his palm, and he looked down to see an arrow shaft protruding from his leg. His mind and lungs paralyzed from the mental shock, he fell off of his saddle and crashed to the ground onto his back while his horse continued charging through the woods.

His mind clouded in pain, he jump started his breath in shallow, ragged starts. He gave himself a pause before he gripped the arrow in his leg and broke the shaft. Another pause. He believed the arrow point was surely touching bone. Willing himself not to faint, he then gripped the broken shaft again and tried to yank it out with all the strength he had. He yelped pathetically, though the arrow did not come out all the way. Through tears, he gritted his teeth and yanked again, freeing the point from his flesh. He groaned and clapped a hand to the wound to block the flow of blood that rushed over his hand.

He froze when he heard sadistic laughter erupt from his surroundings. His eyes darted up when he heard a rustling before him, and a warrior on horseback appeared with a bow in his hand.

"Well, look what I've caught!" the gruff man said, steadying his horse. "A mangy, red fox. Hmm." The cavalier circled to inspect him. "General Ling Tong, isn't it? Excellent. I must admire your courage in facing Zhang Liao, who leads us Generals of Wei. But the hunt is over for you. I, Yue Jin, will make better use of that head of yours by offering it on a spear to my lord!" Yue Jin readied his bow and loaded it with a steel-tipped arrow. He aimed downward at Ling Tong's helpless form and pulled the bow taut.

Suddenly, a shadow materialized and struck like a lightning bolt from the canopy above, landing in the saddle behind Yue Jin. The sound of rending flesh drew the attention of both the Wei general and Ling Tong to his belly, where two hands had reached around and stabbed long daggers deep into the general's torso. The assailant ripped out the daggers, and, choking on his own blood, Yue Jin dropped his bow and fell from his horse to the ground with a bone-jarring thud. Startled, the horse bucked and the assassin leapt from its back, and the spooked horse took off into the woods. Ling Tong almost laughed; he couldn't believe the assassin had been Gan Ning.

Brushing off his pants, Gan Ning snorted up as much phlegm as he could, then spat it on Yue Jin's body. He then approached Ling Tong, saying, "And you think I'm the moron, moron? Rushing around by yourself." He knelt beside Ling Tong to inspect his condition. Through his increasingly blurry vision, Ling Tong noted the concern he was being given by the last person on Earth he'd expect help from. He frowned. Gan Ning was being too reckless himself.

"Don't need any help from you," Ling Tong groaned out.

"Don't start up your shit with me. Save your yammering at least. You oughta be thankful I'm here." Gan Ning snapped. With a dagger, he cut away some of the bloody cloth around Ling Tong's wound. "Looks bad," he said, and with the same dagger, cut the strap of Ling Tong's canteen and opened it. He then glanced around them. Frowning, he said, "Here," and put the handle of a dagger to Ling Tong's mouth. Ling Tong grimaced. "Trust me," he assured. Without a word, Ling Tong softened, and weakly wrapped his lips and teeth around the handle while Gan Ning started to pour the water over the wound. As the first drops washed over the wound, the pirate covered the dagger handle in Ling Tong's mouth with a palm to help stifle the pitiful cry of pain that that launched from the pit of Ling Tong's stomach. After administering the torturous dousing, Gan Ningthen cut away Ling Tong's pant leg completely and started wrapping the cloth around Ling Tong's thigh. Ling Tong, weary with pain and heat, observed his every move, believing the weight of his stare would make him stop--would make him stop seeming like he cared. Gan Ning sighed, and looked up at Ling Tong without stilling his work.

"Listen, there's no way you can hold me responsible for your father's death. I didn't kill him because I really wanted to. I did what I had to do. Have you ever thought about how many fathers and sons you've separated on the battlefield? You gonna start sayin' sorry and kissin' the ground before all the families you've destroyed when you had no other choice?" he said, tightening the bandage with a rough pull.

"What?" Ling Tong said, wincing. 'Why was he thinking about that?'

"Kill the enemy, protect your allies." Gan Ning said, finishing the knot on the bandage. "It's as simple as that." He sighed again when he scanned Ling Tong's condition. To Ling Tong's surprise, Gan Ning removed his belt of golden bells and left them on the ground beside them. He then snaked his arms underneath Ling Tong's shoulders and knees and hoisted him up as he stood. "This'll have to do."

"What are you doing!"

"Relax, would ya? You ain't in any shape to move, and we're probably gonna be swimmin' in bad guys pretty soon. Keep your voice down and bear with it."

Unable to resist anyway, Ling Tong swallowed his pride as the matter of survival made a convincing argument in his mind. He soon felt leaves brush against him as Gan Ning quietly carted him through the forest. Ling Tong grew frightened as he became increasingly aware of the weakness in his muscles, as if all the tension was draining from the wound in his leg. When fatigue set into his eyes, it felt like he was drowning--like the water was over his head, and there was nothing he could do to save himself. It crossed his mind that he may not get the chance to live down being carried in such a way by Gan Ning.

"Hey," Gan Ning said, shaking Ling Tong gently. "Stay with me, you wimp." 'Easier said than done,' Ling Tong thought. It didn't help that Gan Ning carried him with delicacy that he thought the carefree pirate incapable of. He was warm, too. Leave it to him to make things difficult. Ling Tong let his ear nestle in the crook of Gan Ning's arm and could hardly resist letting his eyelids droop.

"What was he like?" Gan Ning suddenly asked. "Your father?"

Ling Tong's eyes shot open, though not sure if he had caught the question. "Um," Ling Tong choked out, then cleared his parched throat. "He was one of the Sun's best men. Joined Sun Ce to help unify the south."

"I know all that," Gan Ning said. "Tell me something I can't just go ask Lu Meng about."

"You've asked Lu Meng about my father?"

"Heh. Sure."

Ling Tong blinked, but decided not to pursue what that response could imply. "Well, he was usually busy, but whenever he could he would play games with me. My mother died soon after she had me, and so all my father and I had of family was each other. And always, before he would leave to go on a campaign, he would give me a piece of advice to practice, about how to be a good soldier and a just man."

"For example?"

Ling Tong thought for a moment. "Fine feathers don't make fine birds," Ling Tong then said, looking up at Gan Ning and mustering a smirk. Gan Ning rolled his eyes.

"Very funny. Your old man could recite Confucius, just like everybody else."

"Hey, to me it meant something."

"I know, don't worry. You were real lucky to have a father like that."

"Yeah." As Ling Tong spoke, he noted that the forest canopy had passed over them, and winced when the light struck his eyes. The brightness of the mid-afternoon sun was blinding, and he left his eyes closed. Damn this insufferable heat, he thought. "Ning..." Ling Tong murmured. "I'm sorry." The total darkness that crept over Ling Tong felt so much better.

Startled by his words, Gan Ning poured alarm and concern from his eyes over the soldier in his arms. "Hey," Gan Ning said, shaking Ling Tong. "Hey!" he said more urgently when Ling Tong did not open his eyes. "Aw, shit!" He picked up the pace. The river was mere yards away, and he slid carefully down a slope to the banks of wide river below.

"Boats?" Gan Ning wondered aloud. There was not even a canoe in sight along the banks. The sweat on his brow fell when he heard the sound of shouts and horse hooves growing closer behind him.


	10. Against All Odds

**A/N:** Argh, sorry this update has taken so freaking long, and it's not even that big of a chappy. I'm afraid I've hit some writers' block with this story, in combination with a family emergency that put fanfic writing on the backburner. However I do plan on getting back on track with this story, so I'll do my best to make with the more frequent and regular updates this month. Admittedly, this story is becoming far more epic than I imagined, and I still have a bit of a ways to go!

Thank you all for your patience and I hope this installment can tide you over until I get more stuff rolling!!

* * *

Sun Quan approached the xiao Shi at blazing speed, his heart calming along with the roar of battle he had left behind. He dug his heels into his horse, afraid to look back and see Zhang Liao poised to cleave him right through his very soul. He rode with head low, but lifted it once he spotted the Xiao Shi bridge, as well as a suspicious group of people loitering before it. One of them, who wore a mask and had a satchel strapped to his back, pulled an arm back and heaved a ball-like object over the bridge.

Suddenly, an burst of noise, dust, and heat rang out, startling his steed. He resumed control of the animal, realizing that the suspicious group was bringing down his only way out. With determined vigor, he spurred his horse to full speed and shouted,

"You filthy mongrels! I'll strike down every last one of you!"

The bombadier had reached back for another charge, but spun around at his thunderous voice. Immobilized by the hate and anger in Sun Quan's eyes, he dropped the explosive, and was slain in one blow.

Sun Quan struck down a handful more bombers with equal efficiency, and chased down as many of their defenders as he could before they could run away. His hate for Wei satisfied only for lack of victims, he turned finally to face the damaged Xiao Shi bridge. The explosives had blasted a couple of holes in the planks, and the ones that were left were charred and unstable. "It's too dangerous to cross," Sun Quan said, his heart aching over the careless sacrifices he had caused. He thought of Ling Tong who had so bravely faced such a frightening creature as Zhang Liao, and he could not bear to think if he were to lose someone so loyal as punishment for his hubris. He then thought of Lu Meng and Gan Ning, two other possible casualties now that he could not bring them reinforcements.

"What am I doing? How can I just run away?" he said to himself. His shoulders drooped as if he were upholding the weight of his shame across them.

"No," he then said, gripping tight his horse's reins. "There is still time. I will come back for them. I must not abandon my men!" His eyes came to life as he reassessed the bridge. "Father, Brother, grant me courage, and protect my honor." He drew his sword and paused to meditate briefly.

"Alright, Gray Bird," Sun Quan then said to his horse. "Time to spread your wings."

He gave a sharp kick and his horse sprang forward. Sun Quan leaned over close into his steed's braided, white mane, trusting in the rumbling power of his horse's gait. He closed his eyes, believing the rest now was up to fate and fortune. He held his breath when the animal's hooves clopped against the wood of the bridge and catapulted across ruins of the walkway. It was a near-instantaneous stunt, but the adrenaline burning under Sun Quan's chin preserved the moment in eyesight when his horse's hooves hit the remaining planks on the other side. Some planks crumbled from the trauma, but by then the Wu commander had cleared the bridge and was speeding through the meadows toward Wan Castle.

"Thank you Father, Brother. It is not yet over," Sun Quan said quietly, looking back to the bridge.

Gan Ning sighed when he noticed that blood had soaked part of his pantleg, and that some had trailed behind them from the forest.

"You're gonna owe me, big time," Gan Ning muttered. "You'll be doin' my laundry forever after this."

He had found a good length of sunbleached driftwood along the bank of the river, and with material from Ling Tong's other pant leg, tied the unconscious Ling Tong as snugly as he could on top of it. Gan Ning cursed at himself, never before seeing his hands tremble with any task, but with Ling Tong's life in his hands, and the Wei troops bearing down on them, it was the first time since his childhood that fear threatened to get better of him.

Thinking Ling Tong was as secure as he could manage, he pressed on the driftwood with his fingers, hoping that it would not be too rotten. He then removed the daggers from his belt and wedged them into the wood so they would not weigh him down. Without further preparation, he threw everything he had into lifting his makeshift stretcher/raft, and waded into the river. As the water reached his waist he set the log down and pushed it through the murky river.

Gan Ning's feet had just cleared the bottom, and was kicking furiously when a voice boomed behind him.

"There he is!"

Gan Ning spun his head around as far as he could twist his neck and saw a horseman leading his mount to the banks. Further behind him, his comrades emerged from the forest, spewing hatred and bitter curses.

"We must avenge lord Yue Jin!" the lead horseman said, forcing his horse into the river.

The enraged shouting over his shoulders made his spine quake, and he desperately searched his surroundings for a beacon, or at least some way he might prolong the pursuit so he could figure a way out. His mind worked furiously for a solution, but his body burned with fatigue. Really, all he was doing was waiting for a miracle. The otherwise inevitability collided with his optimism, producing a denial that allowed him hope for Heaven to magically smite his foes and instantly deliver them into the safety of the Wu army.

While silently praying, Gan Ning peered over his comrade's form and his eyes fell upon the Xiao Shi. The bridge was coming into view downriver, but its shape and color disturbed him, as well as a thin plume of smoke circling like black vulture over its sloped overhang. Even from his perspective, the bridge looked damaged, and quite heavily at that. Gan Ning thought it bode ill for his struggle and prayers. He whipped his head around, seeing the horsemen brandish their short swords as they came within spitting distance as far as Gan Ning could tell.

One of his pursuer's let loose a sinister laugh, reminding Gan Ning of how utterly pitiful his effort must look. Gan Ning growled. If he was going to die, then he would not give his enemy the satisfaction of seeing him afraid of death. All that mattered was Ling Tong's honor to protect, and for that he moved to rip a dagger out of the floating wood.

"Let's not make this all for nothing," Gan Ning said to Ling Tong's form. "Heaven ought to at least save your stupid ass."

With that remark he pushed the raft as far away as he could, watching the current catch and carry on his wounded comrade. "Sorry," he muttered.

With a single dagger in hand, he turned around to the horsemen bearing down on him and shouted, "All right, scumbags, let's see how far you can get with Gan Ning in his element!"

As the first sword struck down upon him, Gan Ning never believed he would die while praying only for another.


	11. Licking Wounds

**A/N:** Holy guacamole. I'm alive! Massive apologies for dropping this fic (and writing in general). Aside from RL intervening, I seem to be incapable of writing continuously over time-- I can only do so in spurts of inspiration/gumption. Hopefully, this spurt will help me cover the awful amount of ground that I need to catch up with here between these Wu Two. :-)

However, this is kind of a filler chappie, but I do have moar NingxTong interaction in mind for the next. Thanks everyone for your patience.

edit: added a little more exchange between Gan Ning and the messenger.

* * *

Gan Ning swam desperately, his spirit dropping like a stone when he seriously thought that they would not make it. Though he had the advantage of the river's current pushing him along, he would prove no match for a horse, and his endurance had long since evaporated.

"Son of a bitch," Gan Ning breathed.

* * *

As he had promised himself, Sun Quan had returned that evening, and with him were extra troops. With them he would attempt to rescue his stranded officers and soldiers who had survived Wei's ambush. He brought materials and engineers to work on stabilizing the Xiao Shi bridge, while others worked on light rafts in order to ferry troops and horses across the river. They set to work immediately, working all through the night by torchlight. Sun Quan's desire to save his men inflamed his spirit, and though he had not had a moment's rest since morning, he too volunteered his energy in the tasks at hand.

By that morning, the first fleet of rafts were already being put to use. In the twilight, the forms of men and horses looked as though they were shades crossing the river to the underworld.

"Lord Sun Quan! In the river!"

The sudden commotion that prompted Sun Quan's officer to speak, however, enlivened the scene as soldiers huddled around a spot upon the bluff overlooking the bank. Surprised and curious, Sun Quan rushes his horse to look over the bluff.

"What is it?" he asked.

"There's someone down there," a soldier responded.

Sun Quan searched the bank for the person in question, and he thought he just barely made out the shape of a body in the water that was nestled among the rocks and vegetation outlining the bank.

"A torch," Sun Quan ordered. Light was brought immediately, and Sun Quan dismounted and slid down the steep bluff to investigate personally. He blanched when the torchlight revealed a dirty and blood-stained but no less recognizable face. "Oh, Heaven," Sun Quan breathed, letting the flame fall from his hand. He leapt into the cold water, fighting with wide steps over the knee-deep water to reach the body. He threw himself down upon the log the body was resting on, and he heaved in a mad attempt to dislodge it and bring it ashore.

"Sire!" Sun Quan's men called, clamoring down the bluff after their lord to assist him. They too waded into the river and with combined effort they brought the body ashore.

"Master Ling Tong," the men murmured, their faces a grim mixture of shock and dejection. Fearing the worst himself, Sun Quan placed an ear to Ling Tong's cold, damp chest and listened. After a pregnant pause, his eyes widened in amazement.

"He is still alive," Sun Quan breathed. "Though barely." He moved to embrace Ling Tong, for he was hardly able to contain his tears. "There's still hope!" He then rose to his feet and shouted, "Take him to Wan castle immediately. Place him in my chamber and have the surgeon there prepare him for transport back to Jiang Dong. Also inform him that I want all of our best doctors summoned, and our finest medicine prepared for him at the palace!"

It was then that Sun Quan noticed a dagger embedded in the log. He bent to rip it out of the soaked wood, and his heart sank as he examined it in his hand. There was no mistaking its owner--and for the pirate to part with it meant dire circumstances. He clenched the handle in his palm and shouted, "Now get back to work! If I see any soldier slacking off I will cut him down myself!"

Spurred to action by the outburst, Sun Quan's men removed Ling Tong and, after carefully delivering him up the bluff, swiftly transferred to a more appropriate stretcher. He was then placed in a cart for transport and accompanied by a team of medics who worked to ensure he would remain stable. Sun Quan observed every step up to Ling Tong's departure for the castle, and tears again stung his eyes as he considered how fortunate the Sun family was to have vassals as devoted as Ling Cao and his equally brave son. He also considered going back to the castle as well, but he knew he could not until his other missing officers could be accounted for. With Gan Ning's dagger feeling heavy in hand, he prayed that Heaven would continue to intercede.

Then, as if to grant his prayer, an infectious commotion again seized his men.

"Across the river! It's Master Lu Meng!"

With great anticipation Sun Quan dashed to the edge of the bluff to peer across the river. The dawn was brighter now, and he could not mistake the Wu banners that fluttered over the approaching regiment on the opposite side. He was not without some worry, however.

"Be on your guard," Sun Quan ordered. "Wei could be using our colors to stage another ploy."

He watched the suspicious force with growing trepidation, and especially when it halted just before the bluff. A lone rider separated from the group and stopped at the bluff, and Sun Quan's fears instantly dissipated when he recognized him.

"My lord!" the rider shouted. "I, Lu Meng, have returned to you!"

Overcome once more, Sun Quan sighed his joy and wiped his eyes. He then ordered that Lu Meng and his remaining forces be delivered across the river for well-earned rest and nourishment.

"Lu Meng, words cannot express my relief to see you alive and unharmed," Sun Quan greeted as Lu Meng stepped off of a raft onto the bank.

"And you as well, my lord," Lu Meng replied.

"Though I am grateful, I believe Heaven has been more merciful than perhaps I deserve--we were foolish not to be more careful, despite our great numbers," Sun Quan admitted.

"If there is anyone to blame, it is my own judgment. I should have turned back as soon as I felt that the situation was not right. You could have been ambushed yourself, especially seeing as the bridge has been destroyed!"

Embarrassed, Sun Quan sighed and looked away. At this Lu Meng furrowed his brow. "My lord?" he asked. He looked about and added, "Where's Ling Tong?"

"Wounded in action," Sun Quan said solemnly. When Lu Meng appeared even more confused, Sun Quan mustered the courage to clarify: "We were ambushed by Zhang Liao."

Shock swept over Lu Meng, almost causing him to stagger. "For your life to have been spared, your ancestors must surely watch over you," he said.

Sun Quan then said, "Ling Tong sacrificed his good health for mine, and perhaps even his life." Sun Quan paused, appearing quite distraught. "But it appears he owes a life debt to another as well." He held up Gan Ning's dagger for Lu Meng's inspection.

Lu Meng accepted the weapon and said, "And what of the brazen seadog?"

"I was hoping you knew of his whereabouts. There has been no other word or sign," Sun Quan said.

"Really," Lu Meng said. He recounted the circumstances of their ambush by Li Dian, and that he had trusted Gan Ning to escape in order to warn the main force. Saddened, he said, "I refuse to believe he has been slain, and I pray that I did not send him to his doom instead."

"We will wait for him, and send out search parties," Sun Quan said.

"Sire, with all due respect, I believe that may be unwise. Your men are exhausted, and so are mine. Zhang Liao still lurks here, and we have neither the strength nor strategy to muster any sort of counterattack. We ought to pull back to Wan castle as soon as possible," Lu Meng advised.

"But," Sun Quan began. "What member of the Sun abandons his men?"

Touched by the sentiment, Lu Meng smiled but pressed his point, saying, "We can send out our spies from the safety of the castle."

Sun Quan deflated, and without a word nodded to Lu Meng. Lu Meng for his part bound the dagger to himself for safe-keeping, for he believed Gan Ning would never leave this earth without it.

* * *

Gan Ning had always figured that horse carcasses smelled bad, and would rather have avoided the firsthand experience. The odor, and the sight of the horse's underbelly a few feet away made him flinch and sit up. He coughed, brushing away sand and grit stuck to his cheek and torso.

"Morning, huh? Must have passed out," Gan Ning muttered, now vigorously and futily brushing the grime from his hair. His immediate concern was figuring out where he was and how he got there. He glanced around at the carnage about him, gradually recalling that it had been a fight to the death with Wei soldiers hoping to make a name for themselves with his head as the trophy. He had given it his all, but his strength only lasted as long as there was an enemy still standing. Once the last one fell, so did he from paralyzing fatigue.

He spotted his dagger lying in the wet sand. He picked it up and kissed its blood-stained blade before sheathing it.

His body still felt as dead as the soldiers and animals around him. Getting up, he limped upstream--away from the death--and disrobed. He waded into the river to treat himself to a cool drink and a bath. As he washed himself of blood and filth and cleansed his wounds, he gazed down the river, and thought about what Lu Meng's orders. He was not sure how he would be able to show his face. He technically disobeyed a direct command so he could pursue Ling Tong. Ling Tong.

Gan Ning sighed. The wound to Ling Tong's leg had been very bad. Where had the river taken him? Gan Ning grunted in frustration, but resolved that he would risk being demoted or dishonorably expelled from the service if it meant seeing his friend alive, or an opportunity to pay his deepest respects--and to apologize either way.

His friend. He chuckled to himself. He took a long drink of river water to try and stave off his hunger, then moved onto shore to dress himself, albeit with hands that quivered with muscle fatigue. Patting his waist, he remembered what he was missing.

"My bells," Gan Ning remarked out loud. "And one dagger." He shrugged. "Could be worse!"

Suddenly, he picked up the dull roar of hooves galloping on the wet sand of the river bank. He froze in place as the sound grew louder. Adrenaline kicked in and jumpstarted his heart. The mad pounding revived the aches in his muscles. He was sure he had not the strength left to survive another bout with Wei soldiers. He prayed that the horsemen were his allies instead.

That was not the case. He mustered his gaze to look toward the source of the commotion, down the coast and to a stampede of blue riders.

"There he is!" they shouted.

Gan Ning sighed, tilting his head toward Heaven. With one dagger in hand, he then took his battle stance, sneering like a tiger.

"Ho!" a voice from the herd shouted. The command prompted the horsemen to slow their approach, and while doing so they seemed to simultaneously draw their bows and arm them with arrows. Gan Ning was pinned as they circled him and took their aim.

"You must be the Master Gan Ning," a voice said. The speaker emerged from the crowd of horses. He was unarmed, but dressed finely in vivid blue and gold-embroidered silks that signified his status as a royal messenger. "I have been ordered to locate you and deliver you back to your lord, Sun Quan, and with a proposal of peace from the Prime Minister."

"An' why in the hell should I listen to you?"

There was a distinct jingle as the emissary pulled Gan Ning's bells out from behind him and held it up. He then said, "If you come willingly, you can expect no further harm to come to you. However, my instructions did not specify making sure you are delivered alive. If you refuse to cooperate, then I can deliver your body instead."

He then tossed Gan Ning his belt, which the pirate caught with his free hand. The move made him stand straight, and he shouted, "You gotta be kiddin' me if you think Gan Ning would ever let himself be taken prisoner by scumbags like you!"

The emissary only smirked. "You are as rash as they say. I will give you a few seconds to reconsider. I must make it brief as I do have reason to be timely."

"I don't like your tone," Gan Ning said. "If it weren't for your friends here, I'd already be carving off your fat lips."

"Ready!" the emissary yelled, raising his arm. The archers steadied their aim.

Gan Ning growled, and he looked down to study the charm in his hand as he mulled over the situation.

"Shit," he hissed, shaking the belt. The bells jingled wildly. In his weakened state, with the multitude of arrows aimed at him, death would be swift. He didn't care much about his life, except that he was unwilling to commit such a pointless suicide outright. He tossed his dagger to the sand and tied the belt around his waist.

The emissary asked, "Well?"

"Let's go, you scumbags."

* * *

The prognosis was grim. Nestled in the golden silk sheets of Sun Quan's divan, Ling Tong slept peacefully, but with skin as colorless as bone. He appeared as though his spirit had long since gone from this world.

Rather, he occupied the space between life an death, or so the surgeon at Wan Castle believed. Ling Tong had lost a dangerous amount blood, but the cold water of the river chilled him enough to prevent him from bleeding to death. His heart was slow, however, and his breathing long and deep. The use of royal medicines would surely help his wounds at Jiang Dong, but they would only be able to help repair the body. Ultimately, it was up to Ling Tong's spirit to decide whether to return to the living, or to let himself be reunited with his father--no herb, ether, or tonic on Earth could persuade his soul.

He related this information to a persistent Sun Quan, who had been very eager to check on Ling Tong's progress the moment they had returned from the battlefield. The surgeon warned that though Ling Tong fortunate enough to be unconscious for his stitches, he nonetheless would be in a great deal of pain were he to awaken. For this reason, he recommended that Ling Tong not be unnecessarily disturbed. Sun Quan then grew rueful, and was so much distressed by the report that he did not to take any meals for the rest of that day.

Meanwhile, Lu Meng was already at the drawing board planning their forces' next move. He had been examining the map sprawled out on the table in his tent for hours, but there was no inspiration, no spark of genius that so often ignited his spirit. Part of the problem was the knowledge that though their numbers were still respectable, were at a severe disadvantage in terms of intelligence and morale. Three successive ambushes had been three too many. The troops were rattled and nervous even after their general retreat. They also had good reason to be distrustful of their strategists, and it would be a challenge to convince them to follow a strict plan accordingly. As far as Lu Meng knew the three Wei generals--Li Dian, Yue Jin, and Zhang Liao--were still alive, strong, and very much able to strike fear in their foes.

Their closest counterparts had been Gan Ning, who was presumed dead or captured, and Ling Tong, who was sinking deeper into death's clutches with every passing hour. They could have withstood the ambushes and regrouped for a more careful assault, but the loss of both respected leaders was nothing short of crippling. He saw the mourning and despair on the faces of his troops at every rank, and he was sure that his own face mirrored them. Lu Meng could barely digest the gravity of it himself, and it interfered with his concentration. The symbols and figures on his map stopped making sense, and his long sighs were gusts caught in the sails of his drifting thoughts.

Lu Meng pondered the option of a full retreat back to the capital. However, he knew that such a move would only feed Wei's confidence. With enemy reinforcements due to arrive from Han Zhong any day now, they would switch from defense to offense. Lu Meng found it sickening, however, to think that they would lose two of their best officers, and all they would have to show for it was a loss of important territory to Wei. They would have to remain, but how would Lu Meng counteract such a decisive rout?

Frustrated, Lu Meng balled a fist and pounded the table. He quivered and bit his lip, enduring the surge of anger, but having no object or being to focus it on.

"Master Lu Meng?" a voice called from outside.

"What!" Lu Meng burst.

"Uhm, uh," the voice hesitated, seeming to have taken been completely off guard.

Lu Meng sighed. "I'm sorry. What is it?"

The owner of the voice was a simple messenger, who entered the tent cautiously before bowing low. He said, "Sir, Sun Quan orders your presence in his tent immediately."

Curious, and happy for the break, Lu Meng sprung to his feet immediately, affirming the order and dismissing the messenger as he did so. Before the entry flap of Sun Quan's tent, he announced, "Lu Meng reporting, Sire!"

"It's about time, old man!"

Lu Meng froze, replaying the response in his head. He was unsure whether or not he was hallucinating Sun Quan calling him 'old man,' while also sounding suspiciously like his unruly comrade Gan Ning. 'Has he possessed our lord?' he thought. 'Is he such a restless spirit even beyond the grave?'

With the backs of his fingers, Lu Meng pushed aside the tent flap to reveal the answer: there was no spirit. Gan Ning was present, opaque, and apparently quite alive. He grinned at Lu Meng with arms folded, acting almost as if his death had all been an elaborate prank. But the smile was genuine, and there was slight embarrassment in his eyes.

"I can hardly believe it," Lu Meng said, returning the smile and moving to briefly embrace the younger man. Lu Meng had no additional words, and he clapped Gan Ning on the shoulder to emphasize his pleasure. He then looked to Sun Quan, who appeared to be pleased beyond words as well.

Lu Meng then released the pirate and asked, "How have you returned? What happened out there?"

Gan Ning nodded but said, "Later."

Puzzled, Lu Meng furrowed his brow and looked to Sun Quan. Sun Quan said, "Lu Meng, an emmisary from Wei wishes to speak with us."

At that moment, Lu Meng noticed the third presence in the room. Upon being addressed, he stepped forward and bowed low.

"I come to you as the ears and tongue of the Prime Minister Cao Cao, who first and foremost wishes to express his deep respect for your capable leadership and the bravery of your officers. Though he regrets that his realm remains in such great disunity, the Prime Minister, on behalf of the Emperor, requests your invaluable assistance in mending our domain. In particular, he wishes to see the mighty Guan Yu expelled from his hold of Fan Castle immediately, and his egregious crime punished."

The Wu representatives paused to process the request, and it was Lu Meng that responded first: "Fan Castle? Cao Ren no longer occupies it?"

"Indeed," the emissary replied. "The castle was seized when Guan Yu, with the help of his son Guan Ping, altered the river flow and quite literally flushed our men out. But Guan Yu's forces are few, with Wu's aid, we can surely retake the castle and prevent Liu Bei from gaining any more strength."

"Unbelievable," Lu Meng said. "So the diversion was not for us, it was for Wei."

The emissary, seeming momentarily confused by the statement, nonetheless continued, "The Prime Minister is as generous as he is forgiving. He proposes a truce in exchange for your help as well as your immediate withdrawl from He Fei. He is also willing to pardon you the murder of Yue Jin should you agree to the terms. I believe the safe delivery of your esteemed officer here--" he gestured toward Gan Ning, "--proves our good intentions."

Lu Meng tried not to reveal his surprise, mostly at the revealing of Yue Jin's demise. Sun Quan was subtle enough. Lu Meng briefly glanced over to Gan Ning, who was the only other to appear unaffected by the blame for Yue Jin's death.

"We understand," Sun Quan then said. "Thank you, emissary, but I wish to confer with my men before we accept the Prime Minister's proposal. In the meantime, please rest and enjoy a meal before you return to the Northland."

The emissary bowed politely and left the three alone.

"Enjoy a meal?" Gan Ning said as soon as the messenger was out of sight. "The best we ought to serve him is the bottom of my shoe on the back of his fancy-dancy threads. He wasn't nearly as condescending on the road, the snake-tongued bastard."

"Yet you cooperated with him?" Lu Meng asked rhetorically. "That's astoundingly out of character for you as well."

"Yeah, but he forced me to hitch a ride back here!" Gan Ning replied. "He put me in irons!"

Lu Meng chuckled and said, "Instead of putting you to death, I see. Our hospitality does not seem so much out of place."

Gan Ning rolled his eyes, saying, "Then with all due respect, I say he can roll up his proposal and ram it." He emphasized crudely with a pump of his fist. "To think Cao Cao lets him speak to us like we're his subjects!"

"That's politics," Lu Meng said. He then sighed. "I feel your irritation, but if what Cao Cao's emissary says is true, then we ought to give the proposal some serious thought. Guan Yu is like a mad dog, and cannot be left to rove as he pleases unchecked. And otherwise, we would be in for a long, bloody conflict if we were to ignore the proposal and press our front on He Fei. And with Liu Bei's designs also set on the region of Nan, we must act to check his power."

Gan Ning studied Lu Meng as if another head had sprouted on his shoulder, his ire bubbling in his veins. "First we go to war at the behest of Shu, and now we'll turn around and do the same for Wei? What are we, the Bitch of the Three Kingdoms?" Gan Ning retorted angrily.

"Enough," Sun Quan said. "I don't enjoy bending to the desires of our rivals either, Gan Ning, but surely you can appreciate the benefit of our cooperation here. The enemy of our enemies is our friend, at least for the time being."

"Benefit? Try convincing Ling Tong of that, if he ever wakes up!" Gan Ning said.

Lu Meng stepped in front of him, and caused Gan Ning to shrink under his glare. "Remove yourself," Lu Meng ordered. Gan Ning looked up with disbelief and hostility. At this, Lu Meng calmly stated, "Clearly you are far too exhausted from your ordeal to participate in these matters with any semblance of objectivity. Advisors who cannot remain objective are not needed. You are dismissed."

Gan Ning huffed, digesting the reprimand as if it were a jagged stone. He opted not to speak another word, and to instead let his inflamed aura convey his displeasure well enough. He regretted the saddened look that seized Sun Quan, but with relief he exited the tent, as if he had just found shelter from a rainstorm.

Though his pride would prevent him from admitting when he needed to blow off some steam, his anger was never something he thought much about until he had returned to Wan Castle. Though his body still felt battered and numb from battle, he could not rest. The more time that passed, the more anxious and troubled he became. The difficulty was the source who rested on silk sheets in Sun Quan's chamber.

"Fuck it," Gan Ning grumbled. He would go see Ling Tong. His senses barely registered the whoops and hollers of soldiers convinced they had seen a ghost pass through their camp.


	12. Mending Fences

**A/N:** Yay! More progress! Big thank yous to those who have already taken the time to comment since the last posting.

There are some big events happening in this chapter, so I hope everything makes sense.

Enjoy! ^.^

* * *

Two sentries were posted at the entrance to Sun Quan's temporary chamber set up in Wan Castle, one on either side of the door.

"Master Gan Ning!" one of them proclaimed. "We're haunted!"

Literally, they did not believe that the approaching form was their razor-haired general, very much alive and in the flesh, who had been declared missing-in-action and presumed dead. The sentries gawked, fearing for their sanity and safety. They gripped their spears and hunched, assuming a meek defensive stance.

"Easy," Gan Ning said, smiling waving at them to stand down. "I'm ain't dead, and I'm not a vengeful spook. I just wanna see how the princess in there is doing."

"M-m-master Gan Ning," one of the sentries repeated, stuttering as he straightened up. "Lord Sun Quan has been very explicit, and will not permit anyone to visit Master Ling Tong without his consent."

Gan Ning soured. He cast the offending sentry a withering stare - the kind he reserved for his enemies on the battlefield. Sure that he had thoroughly petrified the young officer, he said in a low voice, "Let me through. Whatever punishment would come to you, I will accept instead. Trust me, if I don't like what I see in there, I'll gladly turn over my head to Sun Quan."

"Sir!" the sentry said, offering a shaky salute, but Gan Ning was already pushing him aside to go through the door.

The general shut the heavy metal door behind him and glanced around what was a compact but finely-decorated throne room. He took a gander at Sun Quan's royal seat, elevated high on a broad pedestal and was a few yards from where he was at the entrance. Four wooden pillars held up red and white silks that criss-crossed to weave a canopy over the seat, which itself was ornate with gold plates and upholstered with real tiger skin. To his left were heavier silken drapes that he presumed divided the throne room from the bedroom. Gan Ning sighed and walked over to the drapes. He pushed them aside, finding that they were deeply layered. He pushed through until the drapes split and he was met with the foot of a bed almost as wide as it was long. The only light was that of one faintly burning lamp on a stand beside the bed. Next to it were two vessels-- a bowl and mortar, and a fresh wash basin. The flickering flame from the lamp cast long shadows that danced along the black brick walls and upon the form buried snugly beneath layers of down comforters and animal skins. Gan Ning swept his gaze up the form and to the peacefully sleeping face of Ling Tong. His hair had been loosened from the signature ponytail he sported and splayed out over the pillows. The olive warmth of his skin was missing as well.

Gan Ning's face hardened. He swiftly made his way around to the side the lamp was on. He steeled himself, then reached out and gently peeled back the covers. Ling Tong had been fully bathed and stripped, and Gan Ning curled his nose at the potent odor of the medicines and ointments that immediately attacked his nose. He continued to pull, though, until he exposed Ling Tong's neatly dressed wound. Gan Ning frowned. In the dim light he made out a dark stain that was beginning to soak through the white dressings wrapped around his thigh.

"Guess you're not quite out of the woods yet," Gan Ning said under his breath. "So to speak." When Ling Tong began to shiver, Gan Ning wasn't sure if it was the sight or the smell that was making his stomach turn. He quickly pulled the covers back up around Ling Tong's shoulders. Gan Ning then fell to his knees beside the bed and leaned on it with folded arms. He rested his chin on his forearms and he watched Ling Tong sleep.

The sound of Ling Tong's even breathing made the pirate's lids feel heavy. He began to hear whoops and hollers, and saw crowds singing his praises. He saw them from his perch at the bow of his grand flagship, congregated along the banks of a river through which he sailed. He spun around and smiled at his crew-- Lu Meng, Sun Quan, Lu Xun, and various other familiar faces who were on deck and waving to the crowd. He congratulated them all, and with proud swagger he crossed the deck to the captain's quarters. He flung open the door, and inside waiting for him was his mistress, scantily clothed in transluscent orange silks. Her pitch black hair was up in a high ponytail, except for a few bangs that fell around her chin. She was sitting on his bed and pivoted slightly, so he could only see the back of her head and torso. Her whole body language told him that she was proper in waiting, but would not resist him in giving him what he desired. Eager for a celebratory tumble, he slammed the door behind him, and in long strides he crossed the short distance to her seated himself on the bed. He gently placed his hands on her shoulders. She still did not turn to him, so he coaxed her further by running his hands down her back and leaning forward. He lightly kissed her spine at the top of her back, then attempted to crane his head around to see her face. Suddenly, she turned to him, and Gan Ning's eyes fell on the face of Ling Tong, who lovingly whispered his name.

He was so shocked that he was jolted awake. Also conscious, he saw, was Ling Tong, who whispered, "Gan Ning?"

Mentally shaking off the feelings he had from his dream, Gan Ning said, "You're awake, huh?"

"You're alive, huh?" Ling Tong replied, his volume increasing.

"Disappointed, are ya?"

Ling Tong closed his eyes, exhaling a huff of amusement. He smiled and said, "Not this time."

Gan Ning smiled softly, and Ling Tong returned it. However, Gan Ning's smile soon morphed into a smug grin. He stuck out his chest and said, "Damn right. You're gonna owe me once you're all healed up."

"Fat chance," Ling Tong retorted.

Gan Ning rose to his feet, towering over the wounded general. "Seriously, what the hell is wrong with you, charging into the enemy all by yourself anyway?"

Ling Tong turned deadpan. "And why the hell would you charge to the rescue of someone who wants to see you dead? You could have left me to die honorably on the battlefield. Then you wouldn't have to watch your back anymore."

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe 'cause I don't get hung up on the kind of righteous bullshit that makes you act like it's your god-given right to be pissed off all the time. You oughta be grateful."

"Wanting vengeance on the man who killed my father is not bullshit. You ought to try growing up so you can realize that one day, but I fucking doubt you will," Ling Tong spat. His temper was rising, and his outburst was followed by a brief coughing fit. "So thank you, but you can just go straight to hell. You're a pathetic bastard," he said between heaves.

"Listen to yourself. There you go again!" Gan Ning said. "Man, I hate it when you're like this. You make shit so goddamn personal. Calm the fuck down for once. 'Sides, you ain't in any condition to try and bite the head off of the person who saved your life, despite knowing what I know about you." Ling Tong looked away and was silent. Gan Ning sighed. When Ling Tong didn't respond, he said, "Listen, let's be clear. I respect you as an warrior. This army needs you. And your ridiculous tantrums aside, I even respect you as a person. So no matter how much you hate me and hate the world for taking your father away, I don't want you to die, okay? That just ain't how Gan Ning operates, okay? Let's just leave it at that."

When Ling Tong still didn't reply, Gan Ning said, "Well, fuck you, too, then," and intended to leave. He stopped when Ling Tong said, "I'm sorry."

"What?"

"I'm sorry."

Gan Ning was confused. No bitchy comeback. No icy barbs to make him wince. He tried to have a look at Ling Tong's face though it was turned from him. Ling Tong rotated back, and Gan Ning was stunned to find that Ling Tong's eyes had become glassy with tears.

"Damn it," Ling Tong sighed. "I'll be clear, too. I want to hate you, but I can't do it anymore. I don't want to be angry like this all the time. I can't bear it anymore," Ling Tong said. "Believe me."

Gan Ning seated himself on the bed next to him. Ling Tong went on. "Truly I did hate you. I hated you as much as I missed Father. Your existence reminded me of what I lost, and frankly, it still does. But..." Ling Tong trailed off, thinking about his next words. "But in obsessing about my hate, my sorrow, and my pain everyday, I've not only forgotten my duty to the Sun clan, but I've become a different person. A short-sighted, isolated, and useless person. After all, if I had had my way, I wouldn't be alive right now." Ling Tong then chuckled mirthlessly. "I don't hate you. In reality, I hate myself for being so weak."

Gan Ning listened and watched him as though he were studying him carefully. "Then let it go," Gan Ning then said. "Chaos is chaos. War is war. Shit happens. Letting it get to you is the worst thing you can do. If I was your old man, I wouldn't be spinning 'cause you let this pathetic bastard off, but I would like a top if you kept on torturing yourself like this," he went on, patting Ling Tong on the shoulder. "It hurts to even look atcha."

Ling Tong smirked and rolled his eyes. "I know," he said. "You're right, too. I need to set a better example for our men." Ling Tong sighed again. "Father would be disappointed in me."

"Nah," Gan Ning said. "If was as great as you say he is, he'd be proud of you right now."

Ling Tong smiled. "Thanks. Really. Gan Ning, I would like to put this grudge behind me. I want to help put and end to the chaos so we'll no longer have to part fathers and sons."

"Heh, sounds like a plan to me," Gan Ning said, smiling broadly. "Friends, then?" Gan Ning offered, putting up a fist.

"Oh, I don't know about that," Ling Tong teased. "I still think you're a loud, disgusting brute."

Gan Ning frowned, dropping his arm. "And I still think you're a prissy, bitchy little brat."

Ling Tong grinned. "Friends." He slowly pulled a fist from under the blankets. Gan Ning's smile returned, and they crossed arms to seal the deal.

"So, what were you dreaming about just now?" Ling Tong asked.

"Um, huh?" Gan Ning sputtered.

"You were grinning like a shit-eating freak before I woke you up."

The images from the dream flooded back into Gan Ning's mind. He scanned Ling Tong's face. Smooth, pale, expectant. He felt his blood burn in his cheeks.

"I should let you rest," Gan Ning said, suddenly rising to his feet. His bells jingled harshly.

"A-ha. I figured you'd be here, Gan Ning," a gruff voice called.

Both Gan Ning and Ling Tong looked to the drapes. From behind them emerged Lu Meng. "And that you would knowingly flaunt his lord's express orders," he said, sounding more resigned than annoyed.

Gan Ning shrugged. "You know me, old man."

"Indeed," Sun Quan said. The two generals looked to see him emerge through the drapes behind Lu Meng. Lu Meng reverently stepped to the side. Sun Quan nodded to Gan Ning, but his eyes suddenly lit up when they fell upon Ling Tong. "Ling Tong!" he said. "You're awake! This is excellent progress! Since we found you, I have pleaded unceasingly to Heaven for your health to improve. It is a miracle after what you've been through."

"With all due respect, my lord, I was much too reckless," Ling Tong said.

"Nonsense! Please, do not apologize. I have heard that it was because of your courageous intervention against Zhang Liao that I owe you my life. There is no need for modesty. Truly, you are your father's son, and the Sun clan is blessed to have a family such as yours to be our guardians."

Ling Tong turned his face from Sun Quan, feeling overwhelmed by the praise. "Aww, he's blushing," Gan Ning teased.

"Gan Ning," Lu Meng barked. "I'd call you reckless instead, but it seems you have your own courageous story to tell. What of Yue Jin?"

Gan Ning crossed his arms. "There's not much to tell. On my way back to camp, I was taking a shortcut through the woods. I thought they would give me some cover, too. I heard horses and shouting, then saw Ling Tong here tearing through like a madman. Then that cowardly prick took his cheap shot at my friend here," Gan Ning said, gesturing to Ling Tong with a bob of his head. "So then I killed him."

"How unusually short. I was expecting you to have every embellished, dramatic detail of the story ready for you to boast about." Lu Meng said.

"Huh. I guess haven't thought about it until now," Gan Ning admitted. Lu Meng chuckled.

"You must have been as worried for your *friend* here as our lord," Lu Meng said. Before Gan Ning could interrupt, Lu Meng continued, "That's alright. I expect that you'll be back to entertaining the troops in no time. Speaking of which, we will be withdrawing from Hei Fei in order to move on Fan Castle within the month. Cao Cao is preparing to move additional troops from Han Zhong, and our assault must be coordinated precisely with their time table if the seige is to have a chance of success."

"Fan Castle?" Ling Tong piped up. "Why are we leaving He Fei for Fancheng?"

"I ought to let our lord explain," Lu Meng said. Sun Quan nodded.

"We can't afford to be stubborn at this time," Sun Quan said. "While we have been distracting Wei here at Hei Fei, Guan Yu used the opportunity to occupy Fan Castle. In addition, he has taken our nearby grain stores to feed his troops instead. Although I have little sympathy for Cao Cao, I can no longer suffer Shu's audacity. After our disputes over Jing, I have been insulted once too many. I refuse to be used by Liu Bei so that he can gain even more territory and influence. Our alliance will not last. Wei has a common interest in seeing Guan Yu removed, an thus our cooperation with Cao Cao is also justified."

Lu Meng nodded, adding, "We would be in for a long campaign if we remain here at He Fei, and it would be unwise to allow our forces to be tied down and weakened here while Shu gains strength. Zhuge Liang and Guan Yu would undoubtedly use that kind of situation to their advantage."

"I still think it's bullshit," Gan Ning interjected. "I don't like being jerked around. I say we pull back for now and just let 'em duke it out for the castle."

"This is why you don't do the thinking," Lu Meng said pointedly. "Besides being Liu Bei's guard against Cao Cao, Guan Yu currently defends the land of Jingzhou. He is as powerful as Zhuge Liang is cunning. Therefore, if we cannot check him, he will be a thorn in our side that will surely become infected and weaken us over time. This is also our opportunity to wrest Jing Province out of Liu Bei's hands for good."

"So everything's already been decided?" Gan Ning asked.

"Yes," Sun Quan said. "And Lu Meng will be leading our forces this time. You and Lu Xun will be accompanying him when the time comes. We will be returning home first, however."

"Understood," Gan Ning said solemnly, glanced over to Ling Tong. He smirked, seeing that he had fallen asleep.

"Hopefully, Ling Tong will have recovered enough to welcome us home after all is said and done," Lu Meng said. He then let out a loud sneeze, followed by a fit of deep-throated coughing.

"Hey, old man?" Gan Ning said, walking over to examine him. "You alright?"

"It's nothing," Lu Meng said, waving him off. "Start packing. We'll start heading home tomorrow."

Gan Ning narrowed his eyes, letting his disbelief show loudly on his face. Nonetheless, he obeyed. "Sir," he said, excusing himself from Sun Quan's presence as well.

Hearing the heavy door to the chamber shut, Lu Meng smiled and said, "Despite what's at stake, at least you won't have to worry about those two anymore."


	13. Turn Around

**A/N:** Hi! Kind of a short chappy this time. Next chapter is shaping up to be a big one, though, so unfortunately this installment will have to tide everyone over until it's done. ^.^ Thanks for the continued patience, and for those who are still reading (and reviewing) what I've brought back from the dead here.

As always, enjoy!

* * *

The harsh clang of metal colliding with metal reverberated through the castle grounds. Lu Meng, wielding his polearm, met with Gan Ning who had daggers in hand. After parrying a strike from Gan Ning, he pushed the pirate away with his weapon. With a booming cry, Lu Meng crashed his weapon down upon the pirate. At the last possible second, Gan Ning side-stepped the attack. The blade of the halberd embedded itself in the ground, and Gan Ning placed his foot on the weapon to hold it in place. He then used it as a springboard to launch himself at Lu Meng. Lu Meng, with his weapon pinned, had no choice but to release the handle and retreat.

As he stepped back, he older general laughed. "Very good, Gan Ning," he said. The pirate stopped and grinned.

"You ain't so bad yourself for your age, old man." Gan Ning sheathed his daggers in his belt. "I actually broke a sweat."

"'For my age'. Hah!" Lu Meng barked. He placed one hand on his hip, the other he used to scratch his beard as he studied Gan Ning for a beat. "How are you holding up?" he then asked.

"Huh? You go blind on me, old man? As you can see, I can take anything you dish out," Gan Ning said while flexing an arm.

Lu Meng chuckled and said, "I'm not talking physically, of course. However, I bet you wish you could spar with someone a little closer to your age right now." he said.

Gan Ning furrowed his brow. "What do you mean?"

"Ling Tong. You haven't been the same since his injury," Lu Meng replied.

"Eh?" Gan Ning rolled his eyes. "I've just been bored stupid is all. All this waiting around for a real fight drives me nuts."

Lu Meng yanked his halberd from the ground and swung it around to rest it on his shoulder. "I'd say your problem is more than boredom. Since we've been home these past few weeks, you've been sleeping too much and eating too little. Before you could hardly contain your gift of gab, but now you hardly speak to anyone, much less to brag. I rarely see you, except when we're both visiting Ling Tong. I'm told that you visit his room everyday." Gan Ning's eyes fell. "It's like your fire's gone out. So for your sake, I hope he gets better soon," Lu Meng finished.

Gan Ning sighed. "Whatever. Thanks for the spar, old man." The pirate then made his swift exit from the training grounds. Lu Meng was one of the only people he had ever met in his life who could read him so well, and he was right in that Gan Ning wasn't feeling like himself. Therefore, he had called Lu Meng out in the hopes that some exertion would lift his spirits-- it had, but only until Lu Meng negated it by pointing out his problems. He should have known. The older man usually used his powers of perception cut straight to the truth when Gan Ning preferred to avoid it.

"Damn it," Gan Ning muttered. The old man was right after all. He couldn't help it. Without a thought as to where he was going, he kept his head down and fumed silently. Ordinarily, he would rather fume out loud, but what would anyone do about his current agony? Lu Meng was too busy planning the next battle. Lu Xun would patronize him. He was rarely in the mood to play lofty mind games with Zhou Yu, and Zhou Tai's quiet disposition was simply oil to Gan Ning's water.

He respected his fellow generals for sure, but each had their way of turning him off after a while. He grew bored with them. Unfortunately, the alternative of being by himself turned him off even more. Inevitably, he would think about what else he could be doing, and thus end up daydreaming about his former life. The military had its benefits of better organization, funding, and leadership, of which Gan Ning could definitely appreciate compared to herding a ragtag bunch of lowlife thugs for an ungrateful leader. He never would truly miss that life, but the lengthy lulls between military campaigns he dealt with now were simply insufferable. As a pirate, he would never have to worry about a dull moment. Everyday there was a new ship to plunder, a new harbor to ransack. Each raid with the possibility of being his last. He was addicted to action, but moreso to the feeling of not knowing what to expect. Currently, the only semblance of that kind of sudden unpredictability in his life came from--

Gan Ning stopped suddenly and jerked his gaze up from the floor. He sighed. While in thought, he had automatically made a beeline through castle until he found himself in front of Ling Tong's door. He thought about cancelling the visit just to prove he could change, but the notion was fleeting. He lifted a fist and knocked once. A moment later, the door cracked open and a nurse stuck his head out.

"Master Gan Ning," the nurse said, fully exiting from the door in order to bow.

"He awake today?" Gan Ning asked.

"Yes, Sir..." the nurse began. "But..."

"Then lemme in!"

Gan Ning pushed the nurse aside and barged in. Stopping just inside the door, he smiled, seeing Ling Tong, in a thin white robe, sitting up on the edge of the bed facing him. Two other nurses were steadying him, while the third who had greeted Gan Ning quietly snuck by him and moved to help. Today, he was finally going to attempt to stand. Ling Tong looked up at his visitor, and furrowed his brow when he recognized him.

"What do you want, Gan Ning? Here for a laugh today?" Ling Tong said. Since he had been healing so rapidly, he had been looking forward to the day when he would finally test his legs. He was not about to let a friendly rival ruin his good mood.

"Well hello to you, too, sunshine," Gan Ning said, crossing his arms. He watched the nurses, one under each of Ling Tong's arms, pathetically trying to keep Ling Tong from swaying too much. After a few seconds, and not feeling a lot of confidence from Ling Tong, snorted and crossed over to him.

"Move," he ordered, shooing them with a wave of a hand. The nurses cowered and separated themselves from Ling Tong as Gan Ning roughly grabbed him by the shoulders. Suddenly, he was still and steady. Ling Tong glared at him.

"Yes. Please help me. Burden me with shame, why don't you?" Ling Tong spat.

"As you wish," Gan Ning said, grinning. He suddenly felt one of Ling Tong's fist jab him hard into his sternum. His amusement remained as he coughed, momentarily stunned by Ling Tong's assault, but he didn't let go of him. "Come on," Gan Ning said gently.

Sighing, Ling Tong's face softened, and he snaked his arms around and placed his hands on Gan Ning's shoulders. He locked eyes with the pirate and and pushed upwards. Gan Ning kept steadying him as Ling Tong slipped off the bed and his bare feet found their purchase on the carpet. Gan Ning kept Ling Tong steady as he tested his weight on each leg. He wobbled a little, but the healthy leg seemed to do just fine, and surprisingly to them both, the injured one held up firmly as well.

Ling Tong was delighted. "Maybe I'll be able to go with Lu Meng to Facheng after all."

"I'm sure the old man will be happy to have you," Gan Ning said. Still steadying him, Gan Ning stepped back so that Ling Tong could step forward. Right foot, left foot.

"And you?" Ling Tong asked.

"Well, duh," Gan Ning answered. "So long as you don't slow me down like you are now."

Ling Tong smirked and said, "Jerk. I'll make sure you die of embarrassment instead when I beat your tally."

"Hah! Fat fucking chance." Gan Ning smiled broadly. This is why he visited everyday. Just a couple of minutes had turned his mood completely around.

Ling Tong chuckled in return, refocusing his attention on his balance as he walked. Gan Ning could feel the gusts of his breath roll over him. Suddenly, he was keenly aware of Ling Tong and his proximity: the unique scent of his musk, the sight of his revealing state of dress, the warm firmness of muscle under his hands. An alien feeling returned like a stampede of horses. What felt like lava shooting through his veins caused him to recoil as if a snake around Ling Tong's shoulders had bit him. He ripped his hands away from him and stepped backward. "Gan-?" Ling Tong began, but stopped short when the sudden movement caused him to sway. He flailed his arms in order to regain his balance. "What the hell?" Ling Tong asked, relieved that his bad leg hadn't immediately given out.

However, in a mere few seconds, the muscles of Ling Tong's wounded thigh seized. He slapped his hand to it, the light cloth of his robe bunching in his tight grip, but it was no use. His leg spasmed and buckled. He grunted as his leg crumpled and he collapsed to the floor with a thud.

The nurses who were standing by rushed to assist him. Shocked, furious, and embarrassed, Ling Tong bared his teeth and snapped, "What the fuck is the matter with you?" His eyes pierced him with hatred, burning with familiar intensity. "That was an disgusting prank, even for you. Get the fuck out of here, and you can just forget about tomorrow--"

A degree of Ling Tong's rage faded into confusion when he noted that Gan Ning's expression was devoid of any amusement. Instead, the pirate was covering his cheeks with a hand and staring at Ling Tong as if he had suddenly transformed into Cao Cao himself.

Despite Gan Ning's appearance, Ling Tong was still bitter. "Hello?" he said with irritation. "Anybody at home and feel like answering the door up there, moron?"

"Sorry," Gan Ning then muttered. He stepped forward and stooped to help the nurses - who had stopped to witness the argument unfold - lift Ling Tong up and off of the floor. He stared at the ground, avoiding all eye contact as he did so. "Sorry," he said again.

Ling Tong, who was now studying him cautiously, batted him away. "Seriously, what is wrong with you? You *never* apologize, unless it's to Lu Meng, and that's only after he slugs you. Multiple times."

Suddenly, Gan Ning snapped his head up and said, "Nothing's wrong, okay? Sorry, it was a bad prank." He then just as suddenly scooped Ling Tong up by the underarms and forced him to stand, nearly shaking off the nurses in the process.

Once on his feet, Ling Tong pushed him away, wobbling again but standing. "Then leave. As you can see, I'm not your plaything," he said firmly, wrapping each arm around a nurse just in case. "So go find someone else to torture." The nurses helped him turn around. He hobbled back to the bed, and behind him he heard Gan Ning say "Fine!" and the door to the room then opening and closing harshly. Ling Tong winced. He intended to call Gan Ning's bluff and provoke him into airing out what was on his mind. However, based on the silence that swiftly returned to Ling Tong's chamber, the discussion would have to wait.

And in just a couple of minutes, his good mood had turned completely around.


	14. Fair Play

**A/N:** Once again, this was originally one long chapter I decided to split into two. In other words, TWO chapters are going up at once. Yay!!

THANK YOU once again for the encouraging words and honest feedback. I hope to continue to keep up with your expectations, aside from the copy errors I'm prone to make. (d'oh!) I'm not so worried about polish as I am about actually getting these chapters out, I guess. .*

These are exciting chapters, though. I hope you enjoy!

* * *

The heat of the summer gave way to relentless, cold rains. The road toward Fan Castle was sopping with black mud, and Gan Ning's horse had to pull and tug its hooves out of the mush to keep pace with the rest of the troops. The hair on his head was matted into a darkened nest of spikes that he had to constantly whip back and out of his eyes with short jerks of his head. The water had drained between his skin and the hardened leather of his breastplate and that of his legs and saddle, making him feel even more slimy, as if he were a sea turtle riding a giant slug. He was miserable. However, the foot soldiers around him looked more miserable, having already trudged miles through such conditions. He was sympathetic. He, too, was once a lowly grunt.

"Hey old man!" Gan Ning called. "Are we there yet?"

Lu Meng, who was a few paces ahead, roared back to him over his shoulder, "Stop asking me that!"

Gan Ning smirked, but then noted with no little concern that the elder's shoulders were suddenly convulsing again, the man having been seized with a coughing fit after his outburst. Lu Meng had been very good in masking his symptoms, but over the course of the month, they became more persistent and more obvious. In the week leading up to their departure, he would retire to his quarters everyday for hours. Despite these signs, the elder man denied being ill, even to Sun Quan, and was firmly resolved to lead their expedition and so none would challenge him. Now he was as soaking wet as the rest of them, suffering within and without. Nonetheless, he straightened and resumed leading them as though nothing was ever wrong. Gan Ning said nothing. He recognized the rare standard of honor and duty Lu Meng adhered to, and he respected his stocism.

And so, adding to his chilly, rain-battered fatigue, there was no one else around he could rely on to keep his mind off of the trip until they could camp again. Lu Xun was travelling up further ahead, and Zhou Tai was bringing up the rear of their convoy. He and Lu Meng included made up the generals dispatched by Sun Quan.

Unfortunately, Ling Tong was sorely missing. He was held back despite his progress, for his royal physicians determined that he was not yet healed enough to go into battle without significant risk. Because Ling Tong had nearly died for him, Sun Quan was particularly sensitive to advice concerning his brave vassal's health, and gave way easily to their prescription of continued bedrest with increasing amounts of exercise.

Which pissed Gan Ning off. On the morning they set out for Fan Castle, he was ready to yank Ling Tong out of bed and march him and his bum leg to the stables so they could saddle up and go. He did not believe that Ling Tong would have preferred to stay out of the action based on the advice of some quacks. Not that Gan Ning could have known for sure. Ling Tong made good on his promise to ban him from visiting, taking the precautions of having his aides lock his room, posting sentries, and even - according to Lu Meng - keeping a weapon handy by his bed just in case. Gan Ning found Ling Tong's security measures cute since he could still get in easily if he wanted to, but it was irritating to be told by such measures that he wasn't wanted.

"Fuck him," Gan Ning muttered. He sighed, wanting to say it directly to Ling Tong's face. The rain continued to beat down.

* * *

"Old man!"

The battle was won. The alliance of Wu and Wei forces, aided by the defections of Mi Fang and Fu Shi Ren, succeeded in surrounding and capturing the Shu tiger of Guan Yu.

There would be a price for the victory. Slicked with rain and blood, Gan Ning rushed to the side of Lu Meng who, after dropping his polearm, staggered precariously. Outwardly, he was not gravely wounded, yet he then fell to one knee, splashing in the pool of rainwater as deep as his ankles. Gan Ning reached out to steady him.

"Old man!" he said again. He watched in horror as blood dripped from Lu Meng's lips, with spatters in the water made from the elder's deep, blood-soaked coughs.

Despite his condition, Lu Meng chuckled. He turned to Gan Ning and said, "I'm getting much too old for this war." He fell backwards, Gan Ning catching him.

"Fortunately, we have leaders like you ready to take the reins," Lu Meng went on. "Don't worry. Sun Quan, Lu Xun, all of them. They all see you have the potential for greatness."

"Hey," Gan Ning said, shaking him a little. "Stop talking as if you aren't going to be around, old man."

"Old man again..." Lu Meng said, smiling. His head rolled back, and he breathed his last.

* * *

The force sent to Fan Castle had returned triumphant, and Sun Quan ordered a fine feast prepared for them. However, most in attendance enjoyed themselves but with a degree of somber reverence, Ling Tong included. He had attended the feast without question, for the news of Lu Meng's loss had reached his ears, and he knew Sun Quan was also feasting them in his honor.

Men of every rank ate and drank their fill, and all of the leading generals attended his interrment in the very same grounds as the Sun clan, and Ling Tong's father. Ling Tong was heartbroken at the loss of such an inspiring leader, and there was no doubt that all of his peers were of the same mind, including the brash Gan Ning. Ling Tong meant to speak with Gan Ning since his return, but after the ceremony, the pirate in question departed suddenly, and none knew of his whereabouts.

"He's guilty," Ling Tong said aloud. "And me, too. He might still be alive if I had been there."

He spoke through the drizzling rain, rubbing his healed thigh absentmindedly. He was perched on the steps outside his quarters, continuing his mourning solo with a goblet of wine.

But not for long. A familiar jingle made his lips curl in a subtle smile.

"Hey, Ling Tong," Gan Ning said, hopping down from the sloping roof above him.

"Do you ever travel on the ground? You know, like a normal person?"

Gan Ning grinned. "Boring," he said. He crossed over to Ling Tong and seated himself on a step next to him. Ling Tong smiled back, then took a sip from his goblet. Gan Ning nodded at the action, saying, "Partying hard?"

"What else is there to do?" Ling Tong replied rhetorically. "Besides train."

"Fucking right," Gan Ning said. Quickly scanned Ling Tong. "Training? You're better, huh?" he remarked.

"Yep!" Ling Tong piped, flexing his leg. He then smirked darkly, recalling their last encounter. He was still feeling slighted about Gan Ning's cruel treatment. "No thanks to you," he said.

Gan Ning rolled his eyes, realizing what Ling Tong was referring to. "Get over it already, you wimp," he teased, smiling. "You always take things so damn far. Don't ever change. Really."

Teasing or not, the remark did not relieve Ling Tong's irritation. What was a smolder was quickly being fanned into a brushfire. Ling Tong smiled at him, though, pretending to be just as amused. "And you're an asshole," Ling Tong observed. "Nothing but shit ever comes from you. So don't ever change. Really."

Laughing, Gan Ning rose to his feet. He walked out a few paces into the rain, saying, "Man, I wished you were there. It was a good fight, with me front and center, tearing into 'em like wet paper." As he went on, he began gesticulating, haughtily barking his exploits without pause. Ling Tong sighed, resting his chin in the palm of his hand as he watched him brag.

"But," Gan Ning said. "Then the old man..." He trailed off. All of a sudden, his energy ceased, and he stood limp and dejected, his back to Ling Tong.

"Lu Meng," Ling Tong clarified solemnly.

"Yeah," Gan Ning said over his shoulder. "He was sick. That's what killed him. Did you know that?"

Ling Tong's eyes widened. "Ah," he replied, genuinely surprised. "Then..."

"There was nothing I could have done," Gan Ning said. Unbeknownst to him, the statement set Ling Tong past his breaking point. He was suddenly angry. After enduring Gan Ning sing his own praises, it was insulting to hear him shrugging off the death of Lu Meng in the next breath. To his ears, his remorse sounded fake.

So, Ling Tong put down his goblet, rose to his feet and said, "Well, I suppose he is a bit relieved."

Confused, Gan Ning turned around slightly and asked him, "What do you mean?"

"He won't have to deal with your boasting anymore."

Revenge. Ling Tong smiled as he let his cruel remark fly from its bow. He hit his target dead on. A brief wave of satisfaction washed over him, for he could see his victim stagger emotionally from the blow.

Gan Ning was shocked, then enraged. He clenched his fists. He turned to Ling Tong, fully intending to kill him. Unphased, Ling Tong beckoned him on, itching to put him in his place.

However, the familiar subject of Ling Tong's words abruptly doused Gan Ning's wrath. Gan Ning recoiled, and nearly laughed at the irony. He felt deserving of his wounds being salted by his rival's cruel words.

Instead of violence, Gan Ning only said, "Ling Tong, I'm not in the mood." He the retreated, walking off into the mist.

Confusing and unexpected as his response was, Ling Tong was taken aback further by Gan Ning's expression. The furrows that told of his deep hurt, regret, and resignation were most decidedly not fake.


	15. The Dam Breaks

Gan Ning's feet dangled over the lip of the rooftop, over whose residence he did not know or care. He had left the castle to find some distraction in the city, but none of the brothels or winehouses appealed to him. Eventually, he determined that none on earth would appeal to him.

So, with no desire to return to the castle, he took his rest atop the dense canopy of houses and businesses. Meanwhile, the drizzle had evolved into a thunderstorm. Thick rivulets of water flowed around him, running over his legs and cascading down to the city street below. He was smiling at the black clouds before him. With all the hustle and bustle, he did not get the chance to stop and watch the lightning dance on the horizon--something he enjoyed doing as a child. Nonetheless, he didn't like having to suffer in oppressive humidity, and after Fan Castle, he was absolutely sick and tired of feeling wet. Nonetheless he was content to suffer, shaking off the occasional shiver that travelled up his spine.

Ling Tong. He had the urge to throttle the life out of the sharp-tongued bastard after his words about Lu Meng. That feeling, however, had also nearly moved him to tears.

"Hey!"

His attention darted down from the clouds to the street below to the source of the voice. He made out the face of Ling Tong peeking out from the hood of a long, dark brown cloak. Speak of the devil.

"Hey yourself," Gan Ning threw back.

"Been looking all over for you!" Ling Tong yelled, inviting himself up, conquering the height of the building with elegant acrobatics. "I had to ask everyone and their dog if they'd seen you," he said after his feet had landed softly on the shingles next to him. Ling Tong then seated himself and reached underneath his cloak to reveal a large gourd. "I think I owe you an apology."

Gan Ning did not reply. He still burned with indignation, and Ling Tong could feel it. Almost pleading, Ling Tong said, "Look, I know I owe you an apology. It was a bad joke, and I didn't realize how much he meant to you," he said. He wrenched the cork from the container and offered it to his comrade. Gan Ning made no move, which further defeated Ling Tong. "You don't have to forgive me right away, I guess," he breathed.

Gan Ning sighed, swiping the gourd for himself. He brought the container to his lips. After a few gulps, he wiped his lips with his wrist and said, "He was like a father to me."

Ling Tong quirked a brow. "Really," he said flatly.

"Which means I'm the one who should be apologizin'," Gan Ning replied.

"What? To who?" Ling Tong asked.

Gan Ning snapped his head to give him an incredulous look, simultaneously dropping the gourd to his lap. "To you, dumbass!" he said. He looked away and shook his head as if he couldn't believe he had to spell it out.

When Ling Tong didn't respond, Gan Ning looked back to him and said, "You see, I get it. I get you now. I get what you went through. And especially, I get why you'd want to kill every bastard who had even a little bit to do with your father's death."

Gan Ning clenched, so much that Ling Tong feared that the gourd would burst in his hand. "But see, there's no one to punish, no one t' blame," Gan Ning went on. "Shit happens. I've gotta eat my own words. I gotta let it go. I understand how stupid the chaos is, and why everyone wants to get rid of it, no matter who does it," Gan Ning concluded, finally relaxing. "Just like you."

A paused followed, where Gan Ning's words hung like the humidity in the air. Finally, Ling Tong smiled. "These are the times we live in." Ling Tong then said curtly. Ling Tong unfastened his cloak, and he blanketed it over the head and shoulders his blonde companion. "You don't have to act so surprised. You always understood what our lives mean. That was the last thing Lu Meng had to teach you," he finished, patting the cloak down and leaving his hand on the small of his friend's back.

Gan Ning smiled at him, but Ling Tong spied a solemn look that then washed over Gan Ning's countenance. His sights scanned the rest of his body, having the peculiar sense of being perfectly in-tune with him, similar to the way he felt around him on the battlefield. Gan Ning's eyes then darted to catch his, and suddenly, a strange feeling of expectation seized Ling Tong, as if waiting for something momentous to happen, but not knowing what. He was disappointed when Gan Ning eyes fell. "I think I'll definitely miss that old man," he said.

"Yeah," Ling Tong said, grabbing back the gourd to drink from.

He almost choked on the wine when Gan Ning suddenly said, "I'm lucky to still have someone like you around. I know I've been a real prick, but I know you'll forgive me."

That wasn't exactly what Ling Tong had been waiting for, but he was even more confused when Gan Ning's face suddenly lit up. "Especially since it looks like you're stuck with me from here on out!" he barked, laughing heartily as he threw the arm with the gourd around Ling Tong's stunned form and shook him roughly. Ling Tong recovered his senses, or at least enough to swallow the mouthful of drink. Ordinarily his irritation would flare up over Gan Ning's characteristic flippancy, but Ling Tong found himself having to admire Gan Ning's curious ability to transform heavy air into buoyant perfume with enchanting swiftness and grace.

"What's different? I have no less of a scurvy-addled punk hiding behind my coattails in battle," Ling Tong taunted, releasing himself from Gan Ning's hold with a shove that pushed over his companion.

"Hah!" Gan Ning thundered as he righted himself. "Nevermind me, you got enough skirt to hide an ambush party, sissy," he said, leaping to his feet to dodge the swipe he had anticipated from his friend for that remark. "Say, I have your coat now anyway! I'll let you have it back if you can beat me, hand-to-hand!"

With a grin and a nod, Ling Tong hopped to his feet as well and Gan Ning tossed away the gourd over his shoulder. They sparred upon the rooftops, rain nor cold able to dampen their spirits.

* * *

Sometime during their friendly bout, Gan Ning had leapt from the rooftop to the narrow streets below, causing Ling Tong to descend and pursue. It may have been the wine, or perhaps it was the vigorous exercise, or both, but no torture on Earth could strip the smile off his face while he gave chase.

"I thought you'd run!" Ling Tong said, laughing, soon closing the gap between them. Gan Ning whipped around a tight corner into an alleyway, somehow more narrow than the already narrow streets. Ling Tong nearly crashed into him when Gan Ning also suddenly came to a halt. Gan Ning turned around, and he had a look in his eyes that reflected Ling Tong's happiness, but also something else he had never seen. Suddenly, the pirate reached out to pin Ling Tong's shoulders to the wall and press the rest of his body with his. Ling Tong shuddered when he feel Gan Ning's breath wash over his face.

"Ning?" Ling Tong whispered. Gan Ning scanned him, hesitating, but before Ling Tong could question him again, he froze when Gan Ning moved to cover his lips with his own.

The kiss was gentle and chaste, yet Ling Tong was overcome, his mind flooded with confusion though his groin buzzed in a way he recognized but never could define. His own awakened desire wasn't the only thing spellbinding him, either, but also the tenderness he felt pour from Gan Ning's body into his own. He closed his eyes, elbows bent and his hands brushed over Gan Ning's biceps to his shoulders.

Then, Gan Ning pulled away. Ling Tong opened his eyes and inwardly panicked when he saw Gan Ning grimace, presuming him stung by his conscience. "I'm sorry," he said. "I can't help this."

"Help what?" Ling Tong asked. Gan Ning brought his hand up to cup Ling Tong's cheek, but soon his gentle hand wrapped around the back of Ling Tong's head and he roughly pulled him in once more, this time for a blazing, ravenous assault of his mouth. Ling Tong's lips parted, almost as if on instinct, and Gan Ning's tongue invaded him without hesitation. Ling Tong felt his temples and cheeks burn--the taste of Gan Ning's subtle tang mixed with fresh rain excited him beyond measure. While his mind swam in desire, his heart bloating painfully with affection, and he drank passionately from Gan Ning's warm, possessive lips.

Gan Ning then pulled away again, but let his forehead rest on Ling Tong's while he caught his breath. "I don't know the words for it," Gan Ning then said. "But being with you like this drives me crazy. I've never met anyone like you." He brushed his lips against Ling Tong's once more and said, "I want you to stay with me tonight."

Ling Tong's mind went blank, and felt his body respond when he realized what Gan Ning was asking. He nodded meekly and whispered, "It's okay."

He gasped when Gan Ning roughly grabbed his wrist and lead them both back toward the castle.

* * *

**A/N**: I'll be frank-- the next chapter I intend to be EXPLICIT. Wewt. Finally, right?? :-D However, I also plan to make it 100% optional to read, meaning that it will have NO BEARING on the plot, so that those who would prefer not to read it can do so without missing any important plot points. Fair, right?


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